72:, the digression was a regular part of any oration or composition. After setting out the topic of a work and establishing the need for attention to be given, the speaker or author would digress to a seemingly disconnected subject before returning to a development of the composition's theme, a proof of its validity, and a conclusion. A
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Unintentional digressions in informal conversation and discussion are common. Speakers commonly use the phrase "But I digress..." after a digression to express the shift back to the main topic. Many examples of this use can already be found in 19th-century publications. Unless the speaker ties the
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For example, in Book Eleven, Homer employs a mini-digression when
Agamemnon comes upon brothers Peisandros and Hippolokhos in battle. After they come to Agamemnon as suppliants, he remembers that their father was one who denied Menelaos’ emissaries and “held out for killing then and there”. This
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in order to provide his audience with a break from the primary narrative, to offer background information, and, most importantly, to enhance the story's verisimilitude. Through these digressions Homer ensures his audience's devotion to the characters and interest in the plot.
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even made digressiveness itself a part of the satire. Sterne's novel, in particular, depended upon the digression, and he wrote, "Digressions, incontestably, are the sunshine; — they are the life, the soul of reading; — take them out of this book
43:) is a section of a composition or speech that marks a temporary shift of subject; the digression ends when the writer or speaker returns to the main topic. Digressions can be used intentionally as a
450:, Editions de E.H.E.S.S., Paris, 1992. (known as the best historical and theorical study on the digression in literature and rhetoric. Written in French but still unavailable in English)
311:: after introducing the topic, the speaker will introduce a story that seems to be unrelated, return to the original topic, and then use the story to illustrate the speaker's point.
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Digressions in a literary text serve a diverse array of functions, such as a means to provide background information, a way to illustrate or emphasize a point through example or
217:, the author has numerous asides and digressive statements that are a side-fiction, and this sort of digression within chapters shows up later in the work of
94:(in Imperial Rome), the ability to guide a speech away from a stated theme and then back again with grace and skill came to be a mark of true eloquence.
90:). As was the case with most ancient orators, Cicero's apparent digression always turned out to bear directly upon the issue at hand. During the
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short interlude from the action provides the audience with a critical fact about the beginning of the war and the nature of the opposing parties.
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200:) for instance, — you might as well take the book along with them." This use of digression as satire later showed up in
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405:"Tristram Shandy." The Electronic Labrynth. Christopher Keep, Tim McLaughlin, Robin Parmar, n.d. Web. 2 October 2013.
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was a master of digression, particularly in his ability to shift from the specific question or issue at hand (the
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both employ digressions to offer scholarly background to the fiction, while others, like
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Maurice Laugaa, 'le théâtre de la digression dans le discours classique' in
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The digression was also used for non-satiric purposes in fiction. In
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In 18th-century literature, the digression (not to be confused with
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Digression as a rhetorical device can also be found in present-day
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In 800-500 BCE, Homer relies upon digression in his composition of
86:) to the more general issue or question that it depended upon (the
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Homer. The Iliad. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2004.
457:, Bertrand-Lacoste, Paris, 1994. (summary book for students)
130:, and even a channel through which to satirize a subject.
453:Christine Montalbetti & Nathalie Piegay-Gros,
475:Digressions are the soul of literature (archived)
102:The term "digression" comes from the Latin word
76:is a digression by means of a long reminiscence.
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462:Hors-sujet : Proust et la digression
269:In late twentieth-century literature (in
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434:. University of Nebraska Press, 1999.
214:The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
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192:Jacques le fataliste et son maître
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261:are also full of digressions.
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227:William Makepeace Thackeray
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237:and others. The novels of
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289:Lemprière's Dictionary
490:Narrative techniques
424:Institutio Oratoria
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110:"to deviate", from
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17:Digression
443:IV, 1971.
440:Semiotica
427:, vol IV.
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382:2 October
345:Epiphrase
204:'s work.
141:The Iliad
104:digressio
98:Etymology
45:stylistic
37:excursion
33:digressio
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319:See also
128:anecdote
56:rhetoric
29:egressio
309:sermons
187:Diderot
159:subplot
108:digredi
340:Gaiden
88:thesis
80:Cicero
58:since
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41:Latin
25:Greek
384:2013
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