Elements of Criticism, Volume II. — Themes and Context

Congruity and Propriety as Moral and Aesthetic Categories

Kames treats congruity and propriety as linked concepts that apply to dress, behavior, and language, but he insists that the critical art must trace their meaning to its foundation in human nature. He distinguishes refined conceptions—regularity, order, uniformity—from gross pleasures of sense, connecting them to morality and religion. The chapter uses contrasts: a decent garb for a judge versus a mean subject in an elevated style. Kames does not merely list examples but analyzes why certain combinations feel unsuitable, arguing that such judgments arise from innate principles rather than convention alone.

The Rhythm of Language: Copulatives and Passion

In a later section on the choice of materials, Kames examines how grammatical particles affect emotional impact. Citing Longinus, he notes that dropping copulatives animates a period, as in Xenophon's 'they were push’d, they fought, they slew, they were slain.' Kames explains that a continued sound tends to lull, while interrupted sound rouses. He contrasts the sedate effect of copulatives with the hurry of passion, where a speaker omits them—exemplified by 'Veni, vidi, vici' and lines from the Aeneid. He warns against redundancy, except when coldness is intended, as in a Spectator piece where an alderman piles up 'and' to mimic dullness.

Shifts in Construction and the Unity of Style

Kames criticizes even slight changes in grammatical construction within a period, citing Livy's description of Hannibal's battle array as unpleasant because the structure varies. He also faults a passage where the members of a comparison lack resemblance. These observations reveal Kames's attention to the smallest details of syntax as carriers of meaning. His method is empirical: he draws examples from classical authors (Xenophon, Livy, Virgil) and contemporary English writers (Swift, the Spectator), testing principles against actual usage. The goal is not prescriptive rule-making but a psychology of aesthetic response.

Readers approaching this volume will find a work that combines philosophical rigor with practical criticism. Kames's examples—from epic poetry to domestic scenes—demand attention to the interplay between form and feeling. The book rewards those who read slowly, testing each principle against their own experience of language and art.

There’s something almost tender in how Kames traces taste back to our shared nature, as if beauty were just memory wearing a formal coat. It reminds me of another quiet volume, Ioläus: An Anthology of Friendship — Inside the Classic, where affection itself becomes a kind of criticism—the way we judge what we love by how it holds us. Old books, old feelings, still fitting together.