Literary and Rhetorical Theories in Greek Scholia

339 Pages·1987·15.336 MB·English

by  Roos Meijering

LITERARY AND RHETORICAL THEORIES
IN GREEK SCHOLIA

Literary and Rhetorical Theories
in Greek Scholia
by
Roos Meijjering
Egbert Forsten Groningen 1987
Printed with financial support of the Netherlands Organization for the Advancement
of Pure Research (Z.W.O.).
Cover design: Jurjen Pinkster
CIP-GEGEVENS KONINKLIJKE BIBLIOTHEEK, DEN HAAG
Meijering, Roos
Literary and rhetorical theories in Greek scholia /
Roos Meijering. - Groningen : Forsten
Proefschrift Groningen. — Met lit.opg., reg.
ISBN 90 6980 O11 X
sıso 815 UDC 82.0(038) (043.3)
Trefw.: literatuurwetenschap ; Griekse Oudheid.
Copyright © 1987 Egbert Forsten, Groningen
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the
publisher.
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IX
PREFACE ΧΙ
INTRODUCTION I
CHAPTER I
THE POWER OF SPEECH; MAGIC AND TECHNIQUE ὅ
I Διδασκαλία 5
2 Ψυχαγωγία ό
2.1 Eratosthenes 6
2.2 The Sophists 7
2.3 ~—~Plato 9
2.4 Polybius 10
2.5 Rhetoric 1
2 Aristotle 12
3.1 "ἔλεος and φόβος 12
3.2 Πρὸ ὀμμάτων τίϑεσϑαι 14
3.3 Pavraola and πάϑος of the Poet 18
3.4 Φαντασία and πάϑος οἵ the Public 19
3.5 ’ Evépyera 21
4 Ps. Longinus on the φαντασία of the Author 25
5 Quintilian 26
6 Εἰδωλοποιία 27
7 ᾿Ενάργεια 29
7.1 "Evapyeıa and πάϑος; διάϑεσις 30
7.2 Διάϑεσις and Drama 33
7.3 *Evépyera and ἐνέργεια 36
7.4 ᾿Ενάργεια and Painting 37
7.5 Means of Procuring ἐνάργεια 39
7.5.1 Completeness 39
7.5.2 Accidentia 41
7.5.3 Translatio temporum 42
7.5.4 Sound Effects 42
7.5.5 Epithets 43
7.5.6 Other Means 43
7-6 'Ev&pyeıa and κίνησις 44
7-7’ Ἐνάργεια and Comprehensibility 47
7.8 Means to Attain ἐνάργεια in Drama 49
8 Sources of the Theory 52
8.1 Rhetoric or Poetics? 52
8.2 Φαντασία and the Stoa 53
CHAPTER II
THE SUBJECT-MATTER OF TEXTS: FACT AND FICTION
Introduction 54
Aristotle’s Po.g 55
Eratosthenes 58
Strabo 60
Polybius 61
Poetic License 62
Poetic License in Non-Exegetical Contexts 62
Poetic License in Exegetical Contexts 63
Poetic License with Regard to Tradition 63
Poetic License with Regard to Reality; Aristarchus 65
Polybius and Eratosthenes 67
Sch. (bT) = 342-51 67
The =-Scholion and the Other Scholia on the /liad 69
Μίμησις and φαντασία 70
Φαντασία: Ps. Longinus and the =-Scholion 7]
Μῦϑος; Hellenistic Theory of Narration 72
Our Sources of the Theory 73
Definition of the Narration; True or Quasi-True 75
The Tripartite Division of the Non-Rhetoric Narration 76
(ἀληϑὴς) ἱστορία γό
Ψευδὴς ἱστορία, τὸ μυϑικόν 78
Mudtxdv διήγημα and μῦϑος in the Progymnasmata 79
Μῦϑος and φαντασία; Criticism of Myths 83
"Ds ἀληϑὴς ἱστορία, πλάσμα, argumentum 84
The Position of Tragedy 87
A Comparison of the Various Views 90
History in Poetry go
10.2 Φαντασία in Poetry gl
10.2.1 Inventory of Attitudes with Regard to ἀδύνατα 91
10.2.2 Φαντασία in the Light of these Attitudes 92
10.2.3 Conclusion 97
CHAPTER III
THE POET AT PLAY; IDEA AND IDEAL IN FICTION
Introduction 99
Μῦϑος tn the Poetics 99
Μῦϑος as an Object of Mimetic ποιεῖν 100
Συνίστασϑαι 100
Aristotle’s Analysis of Technical ποιεῖν 102
VI
Aristotie’s Analysis of Making Poetry 104
Ποιεῖν and ὑποτίϑεσϑαι 105
᾿Ὑπόϑεσις as a Proposed Subject for a Speech 107
᾿Ὑπόϑεσις as Fiction III
The Opposition of General and Specific in Poetics and
Rhetoric 14
Poetics 17 and ϑέσις / ὑπόϑεσις 114
᾿Ὑπόϑεσις in the Scholia on Prologues by Sophocles 116
Protecting and Supporting the ὑπόϑεσις 117
Theory of Stasis and Scholia 117
Supporting the ὑπόϑεσις 119
“Ὑποτίϑεσθαι in the Scholia 121
A Pindar Scholion 121
“Ὑποτίϑεσϑαι a Fictitious World 122
Aristonicus / Aristarchus 122
Examples from Other Collections of Scholia 124
᾿Ὑποτίϑεσϑαι Incidents 125
᾿Ὑποτίϑεσϑαι and the Audience 128
᾿Κατὰ thy ὑπόϑεσιν᾽ in the Euripides Scholia 130
Sch. Alc. 233 130
Sch. Hipp. 171 131
Sch. Or. 141 and Med. 115 132
Conclusion 132
CHAPTER IV
THE RESOURCEFUL POET: TOWARDS PERFECTION
Introduction 134
Greek Rhetoric on Content and Form 134
The System of Dionysius of Halicarnassus 136
Διαίρεσις 138
Τάξις 138
Τάξις in Rhetoric 138
Τάξις in ‘Rhetorical Scholia’ 142
Ταμιεύεσϑαι 144
In Medias Res 146
᾿Εξεργασία 148
᾿Εξεργασία in Dionysius of Halicarnassus 148
᾿Επεισοδιοῦν in the Poetics 150
( ξπ)εξεργάζεσϑαι in Scholia on Descriptions in the Iliad 152
᾿Εξεργάζεσϑαι in Dramatic Scenes of Epic and Tragedy 153
Χρῆσις of the Material 156
Outside the Scholia 156
Scholia on χρῆσις 158
vi
The συμφέρον in Poetry; Aristotle’s View 162
Χρῆσϑαι καλῶς in Po.14 163
᾿Επεισόδια οἰκεῖα 164
᾿Επεισοδιοῦν and the Length of an Epic 167
Οἰκονομία and Textual Criticism 171
Πρὸς οὐδέν OF πρὸς ὠφέλειαν 171
Περισσός, παρέλκειν, (οὐχ) ἀναγκαῖος, πρὸς ὑπόϑεσίν τινα, ἐπίτηδες 173
Alexandrians and Aristotle on Relevance and Purpose 175
Otxovoula and Literary Criticism 177
The Study of οἰκονομία for Its Own Sake 181
11.1 Terminology 181
11.2 Logical Preparation 182
11.2.1 Scholia on the Jliad 182
11.2.2 Tragic Scholia 186
11.3 Preparing the Public 200
11.3.1 Preparation in View of πιϑανότης 201
11.3.2 Holding the Attention by Means of Hints 203
11.4 Πάϑος and Tragedy 209
11.4.1 Πάϑος and ἦϑος 211]
11.4.2 Πάϑος and Happy Endings 212
12 Polybius on Historiography 220
13 ‘Virtues’ of the Narration; Conclusion 223
APPENDIX: ἰδιάζειν, ἰδίως, ἰδιότης 226
NOTES TO THE INTRODUCTION 231
NOTES TO CHAPTER I 231
NOTES TO CHAPTER Il 242
NOTES TO CHAPTER III 254
NOTES TO CHAPTER IV 267
NOTES TO THE APPENDIX 292
BIBLIOGRAPHY 294
INDEX OF PASSAGES 300
VIII
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The present dissertation owes its existence to four years of
research financed by the Netherlands Organization for the
Advancement of Pure Research (2.W.O.), which organization also
subsidized the correction of my English and the publication of
the book.
Besides, many individuals made important contributions. My
mother, taking pleasure in reciting Greek lyrics, made me
sense the beauty of ancient Greek before I understood a single
word. I later was lucky enough to have excellent teachers, who
taught me to understand, without spoiling this early love.
Among them, it was Professor Dr. D. Holwerda and Professor Dr.
S.L. Radt who eventually persuaded me to attempt further
research, and who supervised the development of this thesis. I
am extremely grateful to them both for their patient insist-
ence on my undertaking the project, for laying upon me a
greater degree of independence than I always welcomed, and for
their many stimulating and valuable comments on the manu-
Script. Of course they are responsible for any remaining
imperfections only in as far as they boosted my self-confi-
dence.
Various other staff members and students at the Department
of Classical Studies in Groningen also showed a much-needed
interest in my work; I owe a great deal especially to Josine
Blok and Ilse Reygwart. Colleagues at the Department of Legal
History of Groningen University gave me ample opportunity for
finishing the book while working among them: I thank them for
their indulgence and contagious joie de vivre. My brother Tom
Meijering newly developed and patiently kept improving a com-
puter-program for printing legible Greek characters. Alexandra
Bardet made the tremendous effort of correcting my English
text, suggesting many improvements of a more general kind as
well.
Even so, no stage of the work would have been possible
without the affectionate support of my friends and relatives,
who despite at times being terribly neglected were always
there when I needed them. Especially I wish to express my
gratitude to Boris, Xandra, and Bob.
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