Hysteron proteron
Encyclopedia
The hysteron proteron is a rhetoric
al device in which the first key word of the idea refers to something that happens temporally later than the second key word. The goal is to call attention to the more important idea by placing it first.
The standard example comes from the Aeneid
of Virgil
: "Moriamur, et in media arma ruamus" ("Let us die, and charge into the thick of the fight"; ii. 353). Another oft-cited example comes from the Last Supper in which Christ commands his disciples "...Take, eat; this is my body" (Matthew 26:26).
An example of hysteron proteron encountered in everyday life is that of a person getting up and putting on their "shoes and socks", rather than socks and shoes.
On a larger scale, the structure of Homer
's Odyssey
also takes advantage of hysteron proteron strategies. The epic begins by narrating Telemachus
's difficulties dealing with his mother's
suitors and his search for information about his long absent father, events that, temporally, occur nearly at the end of the overall sequence. When the poem introduces Odysseus
, it does so after he has spent seven years in captivity on Calypso
's island and is finally leaving; he builds a raft but is shipwrecked. He relates to his hosts, the Phaeacians, the adventures that brought him to this point, bringing the story up to his stay on Calypso's island. The Phaeacians help him finish his voyage, and he returns to Ithaca
where he meets up with Telemachus and, together, the two deal with the suitors, who were the poem's first main concern.
In this way, the Odysseys use of hysteron proteron shares elements with frame narratives
, which remain a popular device today in movies and fiction.
In addition to being a rhetorical device, the hysteron proteron can be used to describe a situation that is the reverse of the natural or logical order. "Putting the cart before the horse" and "topsy-turvydom" are synonyms of hysteron proteron.
The author J. K. Stanford
named one of his principal characters George Hysteron-Proteron
.
In addition to the traditional use, hysteron proteron is often cited modernly as the usage of a succinct sentence in poetry as a transition between two interposed points and to emphasize the relationship between them or as one line equivocal of two structurally larger paragraphs. This is oft used by the revered poet Matthew Arnold; the seminal example of this is the transitional line between stanzas 1 and 4 in the episcopalian "To Marguerite—Continued," Arnold's ruminative, metaphysical commentary on mental isolation; "Across the sounds and channels pour --... But but how long we walk without the moon, one of speckling and sparkling sheen... Oh! then a longing like despair".
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
al device in which the first key word of the idea refers to something that happens temporally later than the second key word. The goal is to call attention to the more important idea by placing it first.
The standard example comes from the Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
of Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
: "Moriamur, et in media arma ruamus" ("Let us die, and charge into the thick of the fight"; ii. 353). Another oft-cited example comes from the Last Supper in which Christ commands his disciples "...Take, eat; this is my body" (Matthew 26:26).
An example of hysteron proteron encountered in everyday life is that of a person getting up and putting on their "shoes and socks", rather than socks and shoes.
On a larger scale, the structure of Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
's Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
also takes advantage of hysteron proteron strategies. The epic begins by narrating Telemachus
Telemachus
Telemachus is a figure in Greek mythology, the son of Odysseus and Penelope, and a central character in Homer's Odyssey. The first four books in particular focus on Telemachus' journeys in search of news about his father, who has been away at war...
's difficulties dealing with his mother's
Penelope
In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is the faithful wife of Odysseus, who keeps her suitors at bay in his long absence and is eventually reunited with him....
suitors and his search for information about his long absent father, events that, temporally, occur nearly at the end of the overall sequence. When the poem introduces Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
, it does so after he has spent seven years in captivity on Calypso
Calypso (mythology)
Calypso was a nymph in Greek mythology, who lived on the island of Ogygia, where she detained Odysseus for a number of years. She is generally said to be the daughter of the Titan Atlas....
's island and is finally leaving; he builds a raft but is shipwrecked. He relates to his hosts, the Phaeacians, the adventures that brought him to this point, bringing the story up to his stay on Calypso's island. The Phaeacians help him finish his voyage, and he returns to Ithaca
Ithaca
Ithaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
where he meets up with Telemachus and, together, the two deal with the suitors, who were the poem's first main concern.
In this way, the Odysseys use of hysteron proteron shares elements with frame narratives
Frame story
A frame story is a literary technique that sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory or main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of shorter stories...
, which remain a popular device today in movies and fiction.
In addition to being a rhetorical device, the hysteron proteron can be used to describe a situation that is the reverse of the natural or logical order. "Putting the cart before the horse" and "topsy-turvydom" are synonyms of hysteron proteron.
The author J. K. Stanford
J. K. Stanford
John Keith Stanford OBE MC was a British writer of the mid 20th century.He was educated at Rugby School and St. John's College, Oxford. Stanford was commissioned into the Suffolk Regiment in 1915 and was attached to the Tank Corps from 1917. He ended the First World War with the rank of...
named one of his principal characters George Hysteron-Proteron
George Hysteron-Proteron
Colonel the Hon. George Hysteron-Proteron is a fictional character created by author J. K. Stanford, He is introduced as a British soldier, sporting gun, and Lord of the manor of Five Mile Wallop, Cambridgeshire...
.
In addition to the traditional use, hysteron proteron is often cited modernly as the usage of a succinct sentence in poetry as a transition between two interposed points and to emphasize the relationship between them or as one line equivocal of two structurally larger paragraphs. This is oft used by the revered poet Matthew Arnold; the seminal example of this is the transitional line between stanzas 1 and 4 in the episcopalian "To Marguerite—Continued," Arnold's ruminative, metaphysical commentary on mental isolation; "Across the sounds and channels pour --... But but how long we walk without the moon, one of speckling and sparkling sheen... Oh! then a longing like despair".