Editing Parataxis (section)

== History ==
The term "parataxis" is a modern invention, but the paratactic style itself goes back to the [[classical age]]. Parataxis distinguished itself as a rhetorical style during the fourth and fifth century B.C.E. because of the development of periodic methods used by orators. Ancient peoples believed these rhetorical styles originated in fifth century Sicily, where [[Corax of Syracuse|Corax]] and [[Tisias]] wrote books about new public speaking styles. It is believed these new methods were brought to Athens in 427 B.C. by [[Gorgias]]. After Gorgias' visit to Athens, numerous handbooks were written about new styles of rhetoric. These handbooks have not survived the years, but it is known that they classified rhetorical styles, so it is assumed that the distinction between periodic syntax and more traditional techniques were made.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |title=Parataxis and organization in the ''Histories'' |type=PhD |last=Towle |first=John Dennis|date=1978|publisher=University of Washington|oclc=919787204}}</ref>

In the ''[[Rhetoric (Aristotle)|Rhetoric]],'' Aristotle makes the earliest formal distinction between periodic syntax and older methods. He distinguishes between "lexis eiromene" and "lexis katestrammene". "Eiromene" means "to fasten together in rows" or "to string". Aristotle relates the term to the connection of clauses in a statement. Statements along these lines are referred to as unlimited, because the people listening to the speaker do not know how the sentence will end based on its beginning. Aristotle's section in his book regarding these styles of statements is seen today as the description of parataxis and is used to distinguish between Greek prose and periodic and paratactic techniques. Aristotle mentions that this style of writing had been used frequently at other times, but was hardly in use during his own time.<ref name=":0" />