ebook img

Persuasion: Greek Rhetoric in Action PDF

290 Pages·1994·1.72 MB·English
Save to my drive
Quick download
Download
Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.

Preview Persuasion: Greek Rhetoric in Action

PERSUASION: GREEK RHETORIC IN ACTION Greek rhetoric and oratory are currently experiencing a renaissance of interest. Individual orators are receiving more attention in the form of editions and commentaries; Greek rhetoricians and rhetorical theories are undergoing new scrutinies and applications; and oratory and rhetoric are being linked together in studies of ancient Greece and its intellectual background, as well as providing a starting point for some modern discourse analysis. Other modern approaches draw out links with political science and dynamics, sociology and anthropology. This book provides the most recent and wide-ranging treatment of Greek rhetoric and oratory at any level. The chapters are written by leading scholars in the field and deal with the influence of rhetoric on a particular historical aspect or literary genre of ancient Greece, taking advantage of the most recent trends and ideas. A chapter also discusses the influence of Greek rhetoric on modern theories of discourse. Law, politics, history, philosophy, rhetorical criticism and techniques, epic, tragedy, comedy and literacy are among the topics which are examined. Persuasion: Greek Rhetoric in Action is an exciting and accessible introduction to rhetoric and oratory in ancient Greece. All Greek and Latin is translated. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of ancient history, communication, literature, philosophy and politics. Ian Worthington is Lecturer in Classics at the University of Tasmania. PERSUASION: GREEK RHETORIC IN ACTION Edited by Ian Worthington London and New York First published 1994 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003. Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Editorial material © 1994 Ian Worthington; this collection © 1994 Routledge; individual chapters © 1994 individual contributors All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Persuasion: Greek Rhetoric in Action/edited by Ian Worthington. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. 1. Greek literature—History and criticism—Theory, etc. 2. Greek language—Rhetoric. 3. Persuasion (Rhetoric). 4. Rhetoric, Ancient. 5. Oratory, Ancient. 6. Literary form. I. Worthington, Ian. PA3074.P47 1993 808'.00938–dc20 93–2061 ISBN 0-203-41840-9 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-72664-2 (Adobe eReader Format) ISBN 0-415-08138-6 (hbk) ISBN 0-415-08139-4 (pbk) Contents Notes on contributors vii Preface viii Abbreviations xi Part I Communicating 1 From orality to rhetoric: an intellectual transformation 3 Carol G.Thomas and Edward Kent Webb 2 Rhetorical means of persuasion 26 Christopher Carey 3 Probability and persuasion: Plato and early Greek rhetoric 46 Michael Gagarin 4 Classical rhetoric and modern theories of discourse 69 David Cohen Part II Applications 5 Power and oratory in democratic Athens: Demosthenes 21,against Meidias 85 Josiah Ober 6 History and oratorical exploitation 109 Ian Worthington 7 Law and oratory 130 Edward M.Harris v CONTENTS Part III Contexts 8 Epic and rhetoric 153 Peter Toohey 9 Tragedy and rhetoric 176 Victor Bers 10 Comedy and rhetoric 196 Phillip Harding 11 Philosophy and rhetoric 222 Stephen Halliwell 12 The Canon of the Ten Attic Orators 244 Ian Worthington Bibliography 264 Index 274 vi Notes on contributors Victor Bers Department of Classics, Yale University Christopher Carey Department of Classics, Royal Holloway, University of London David Cohen Department of Rhetoric, University of California, Berkeley Michael Gagarin Department of Classics, University of Texas at Austin Stephen Halliwell Department of Classics, University of Birmingham Phillip Harding Department of Classics, University of British Columbia Edward M.Harris Department of Classics, Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center/City University of New York Josiah Ober Department of Classics, Princeton University Carol G.Thomas Department of History, University of Washington Peter Toohey Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of New England Edward Kent Webb Department of History, University of Washington Ian Worthington Department of Classics, University of Tasmania vii Preface Though distinct genres, Greek rhetoric and Greek oratory are intimately connected with each other: rhetoric is the intellectual art or study of persuasion; oratory is the actual verbal communication with the intent to persuade, the application of the art of rhetoric. One cannot live without the other, so to speak, and that is why this book is so titled since oratory is rhetoric in action. Rhetoric permeated and influenced (and, to an extent, was influenced by) other genres, concepts and features of ancient Greek life far more comprehensively than any other intellectual art or pursuit. This is reflected in Protarchus’ words in Plato’s Philebus (58a): I have often heard Gorgias constantly maintain that the art of persuasion surpasses all others; for this, he said, makes all things subject to itself, not by force, but by their free will, and is by far the best of all arts. (Trans. H.N.Fowler) It is important, though, not to restrict the influence of Greek rhetoric just to the ancient world but to trace its continuity into our modern world, in the last instance perhaps most evident in the realm of communication. Greek rhetoric and its effects on both its contemporary context and modern times are the scope of, and the justification for, the present book. In recent years there has been something of a renaissance of Greek rhetoric and oratory. Individual orators are receiving more attention in the form of editions and commentaries; Greek rhetoricians and rhetorical theories are undergoing new scrutinies and applications; critics of rhetoric, ancient and modern, are having their merits and views evaluated and re-evaluated; and viii PREFACE oratory and rhetoric are rightly being linked together in studies of ancient Greece and its intellectual background. All of this is very welcoming, especially as many of what may be termed the ‘standard’ works on oratory and rhetoric have been around for a long time, and although many may still remain indispensable they naturally cannot reflect new trends, ideas and work in these two genres. Furthermore, it is still necessary to consult large numbers of modern works when interest centres on several aspects connected with rhetoric, such as its development; various rhetorical devices; the exploitation of rhetoric through the medium of oratory; or the relationship of rhetoric to other genres. I think it was while ploughing through a pile of books and articles on rhetoric and oratory that the idea for the present book hit me. The aim of this book is to bring together within one set of covers discussions of the relationship of Greek oratory and rhetoric to a variety of important areas and genres, at the same time reflecting new trends and ideas now at work in the study of rhetoric. The book is divided into three parts to illustrate the influence and exploitation of rhetoric, and the reaction to it, at both the theoretical and practical levels. Although the focus is primarily the ancient Greek world, a chapter deals with the influence of Greek rhetoric on the sphere of modern communication. It is unavoidable in view of the wealth of source- material from Athens that attention will centre largely on Athenian sources and that city, yet it is as well to remember that although the Athenians transformed oratory into a fine art, the origins of oratory and rhetoric lay not in Athens but in Sicily. The history of those two genres, as Friedrich Blass would point out (Die attische Beredsamkeit2, I, p. 4), began with Gorgias, and the directions which the Athenians took after Gorgias’ visit illustrate the impact he had on them. The book is aimed at student, scholarly and informed general audiences as is reflected in the varying pitches of the chapters. It serves as a starting point for those studying (or finding themselves interested in) ancient and modern rhetoric; politics and society; literature; philosophy; and the ancient world in general—as well as a stimulant to scholarly reaction and further work in rhetoric and its related areas. There are several people I wish to thank, first and foremost being the other contributors for their enthusiasm and ready response to ix

Description:
Greek rhetoric, in its diverse forms and impact on its contemporary context, is central to an understanding of ancient culture. The influence and exploitation of rhetoric in ancient times and modern reactions to it are the focus of this book. In recent years there has been a renaissance in the study
See more

The list of books you might like

Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.