ABSTRACT
Theophrastus was a noted stylist. His original name, Tyrtamus, is said to have been changed to Theophrastus by Aristotle because of his godlike style, to tes phraseos thespesion. The influence of the Peripatos on rhetoric and prose style was strong. The major contributors were Aristotle and Theophrastus, but others of the school continued the tradition, and some fragments survive of Demetrius of Phaleron, Dicaearchus, Heraclides Ponticus, Hieronymus, and Praxiphanes. Comparison of Aristotle and Theophrastus seems a more promising field, in view of the material available from Aristotle's Rhetoric. Theophrastus' explanation would also seem to be a particular application of a general principle in Aristotle, the pleasure of learning.
