active 1st century Longinus
On the Sublime
"On the Sublime" by Longinus is a work of literary criticism written in the 1st century AD. This Roman-era Greek treatise explores the elements of powerful writing and aesthetic excellence. Through examples spanning a thousand years of literature, the unknown author examines what elevates prose to the sublime, analyzing both masterful and flawed passages from Greek classics to Biblical texts. The work emphasizes moral excellence, stylistic elevation, and simplicity as essential qualities for great writers, while warning against both excessive luxury and constraints on creative freedom.