Parnassian:
Pertaining to Mt. Parnassus, a mountain in central Greece which was sacred to Apollo and the Muses; by extension, relating to literature, especially poetry. Sometimes the noun form Parnassus is used in the same sense.
The name was particularly applied to a school of French poets active in the second half of the 19th century. The Parnassians rejected the emotionalism of the Romantic poets and embraced calm objectivity and technical perfection.
philipic:
A discourse or speech full of bitter condemnation. A tirade.
Specifically (and capitalized). the term refers to the speeches (Philippics) in which the orator Demosthenes tried to rouse the Athenians to resist the advancing power of King Philip of Macedon. The orations of Cicero against Mark Anthony are also called "Philippics" for their similarity to Demosthenes' declamations.
procrustean:
A �procrustean� method is one that relentlessly tries to shape a person, an argument, or an idea to a predetermined pattern.
The term comes from the robber Procrustes who, according to ancient Greek legend, would take prisoners and place them on an iron bed, if they didn't fit, he would either stretch them or amputate parts until they did. From this story, we also get the term procrustean bed for a scheme or pattern into which someone or something is arbirarily forced. |
