original_query: What is the literary style of the responsa mentioned in the text?
query: What is the literary style of the responsa mentioned in the text, across different periods?
answer: The literary style of responsa evolved over time.  Early responsa were concise, providing brief rulings with Talmudic citations. Later Geonic responsa became more discursive, sometimes expanding into book-length essays.  Acharonim responsa, from the 15th-18th centuries, were heavily influenced by pilpul, resulting in a more complex, less lucid style.