Excursus
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An excursus (from
Pseudo-Apollodorus' Bibliotheke. In the Middle Ages, the excursus is a favourite rhetorical device to allow the narrator to comment or to suspend the action for reflection.[2]
Furthermore, an excursus is often applied to a piece of academic writing to provide digressive information, which does not contribute directly to the line of argument but can still be linked with the overall topic of the text.
Etymologies as excursuses
Sometimes detailed or fanciful etymologies are used as excursuses. This was used as early as the 5th Century BC by the poet Pindar. The most famous case of etymologies being used as excursuses is in the Golden Legend (ca. 1260) of Jacobus de Voragine, in which the life of each saint is proceeded by an etymology about the origin of the saint's name.
References
- ^ "excursus - definition of excursus". the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia. Thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
- OCLC 1018284482.
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