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How did Cicero influence the development of English prose style?

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Antique book open to the frontispiece of The Iliad of Homer, showing the title and an engraved portrait of a bearded man, with old books in the background. — literature *The Iliad*, an epic of the Trojan War attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer, is considered a foundational work of Western literature.

The influence of the ancient Roman orator Cicero on English prose style is primarily characterized by the cultivation of harmonious, periodic cadences and an elegant, rhetorical structure.1

Many English writers adopted this "Ciceronian" style, which emphasizes the rhythm and balance of sentences to appeal to an audience. This approach was fostered not only by direct familiarity with Cicero’s works but also by the profound influence of the authorized version of the Bible (1611), which shared similar stylistic qualities. For instance, the later pamphlets of John Milton are noted for adopting a "loosely Ciceronian sonorousness".213

However, this influence was not universal. In the 17th century, a reaction against the "orotund flow" of serious Elizabethan prose—often described as anti-Ciceronian or Senecan—led to the development of a clipped, aphoristic style favored by essayists and preachers. By the 20th century, the Ciceronian preference for elaborate, harmonious prose lost favor with many readers, who moved toward more casual or direct modes of expression.31