- Adynaton
Adynaton (plural adynata) (from Greek: "a-": without and "dynasthai": to be powerful) is a
figure of speech in the form ofhyperbole taken to such extreme lengths as to suggest a complete impossibility:
*"It is easier for a camel to pass through theeye of a needle , than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."Book of Matthew 19:24
*"I will sooner have a beard grow in the palm of my hand than he shall get one of his cheek"Shakespeare Henry IV, Part 2 Classical and Medieval usage
Adynaton was a widespread literary and
rhetoric al device during the Classical Period and was known inLatin as "impossibilia". A frequent usage was to refer to one highly unlikely event occurring "sooner" than another::"One can expect an agreement between philosophers sooner than between clocks." Seneca, "
The Pumpkinification of Claudius ".However it largely fell into disuse during the
Middle Ages before undergoing a minor revival in the works of romantic poets, who would boast of the power of their love, and how it could never end.: "Together, we shall sooner see, I, & you, The Rhône tarry, & reverse its course, The Saône roil, & return to source, Than this my fire ever die down"
Maurice Scève Fiction, folklore and drama
Adynata are sometimes used within works of fiction or drama:
::"Part heat from fire, then, by that notion,"::"Part frost from snow, wet from the ocean!"::"Ask less!"
Henrik Ibsen , "Brand"Impossible tasks appears often in
legend s andfolklore , such as the tale of "The Spinning-Woman by the Spring ", and can form elements ofballad s,riddle s andproverb s.Modern usage
Adynaton has survived to the modern age in several colourful examples:
* "Pigs might fly!"
* "Not before Hell freezes over!"See also
*
'Pataphysics References and further reading
* [http://web2.unt.edu/untpress/catalog/excerpt/press194.pdf Dictionary of poetic terms Myers, J., Wukasch, D.]
* [http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/english/plummerj/adynaton.htm Some Notes on the Adynaton in Medieval Literature]
*Ronald Grambo, "Adynaton Symbols in Proverbs. A Few Fragmentary Remarks" (s. 40-42). "Proverbium 15". Helsinki 1970.
*Martti Haavio, "Omöjlighetssymboler i finsk epik" (s. 73-83). Sed och Sägen 1956.
*Henrik Ibsens Skrifter "Brand". Peer Gynt. Universitetet i Oslo. H. Aschehoug & Co. (William Nygaard). Oslo 2007. ISBN 82-03-19002-2.
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