Teaching Ancient Rhetoric. Collecting and Preparing Materials and Making a New Course for Ancient Rhetoric (Greek and Roman)

Members of the intersession group

• Dr. N. Gochev
• Dr. Y. Zabudskaya
• D. Dimitrievich

Annotation

A syllabus for course on classical rhetoric from the very beginning till late antiquity contains the combination of lectures and seminars. The topics of lectures must include some periods, which do not provide the work with texts (because of a fragmentariness of early oratorical heritage). Seminars represent text readings and special research works made by students on the proposed themes, for example analysis of speech structure, the way to create proofs, application of rhetoric figures etc. The aim is to get the students acquainted with the system of classical rhetoric as a whole and to arouse their interest in scientific research on these topics.

The structure of the syllabus is dictated by the desire to emphasize the universal nature of the subject. The need for this course, even based on ancient materials, is underlined by new wave of interests for rhetorical disciplines in the middle of 20th century and by existing and developing of the "New Rhetoric", the theory of communication or "discourse theory", essentially connected with ancient theories of eloquence.

Stages of work and deadlines

• The developed plan - 15.02.06
• List of texts and full bibliography - 1.04.06
• Syllabus - 01.06.06
• Discussion - in September

Greek Rhetoric

N. Gochev, Y. Zabudskaya

Lectures

• Rhetoric and culture. The importance of rhetoric doctrine in ancient culture and education. Correlation of rhetoric system with poetics and stylistics. Mythorhetoric nature of ancient literature and rhetoric principle of interpretation as connection of common subject and new language representation.
• Rhetoric as technique. Korax and Tisias. Attempts of rationalization in literary work. “Techne’ – handbook as the beginning of eloquence. Traditions and strategies of persuasion:
  1) logical (“probability”); 2) stylistic ; 3) other.
• Rhetoric and pedagogy. Sophists. Protagoras: language classification. Gorgias: theory of phonetic repeating. Anaximen’s “Rhetoric” as standard handbook of the late fourth century. Ορθότης (correctness) and καιρός (opportunity) as main categories.
• Types of oratory: epideictic, judicial, political.
  Rhetoric and human. Isokrates. Laudatory speech and consultative eloquence. “Proper” (δέον, πρέπον in contents and structure of speech. the tradition of rhetoric schools.
• Rhetoric and practice. Judicial eloquence. Ordered speeches. Lysias. Methods of language characterization.
• Rhetoric and politic. Demosthenes. Pathetic and selection of language tools. Syntax’s periods.
• Rhetoric and literature. A) Forming the idea of artificial prose. Rhythm in poetry and prose. Speech in historical narration. b) Rhetoric in tragedy.
• Rhetoric and history. The second sophistics. Rhetoric and literary genres. Stylization and imitation in epistle (Socrates, Themistocles) and description (Philostrates).
• Rhetoric and art. The second sophistics. Herodes Atticus, Aelius Aristides. Lucian`s “Encomium for fly”
• Rhetoric and philosophy. Sokrates. Plato and his opinion about rhetoric and stylistics. Methods of discussion conducting in “socratic dialog”.
• Rhetoric and theory. Aristotle. Next step of formalization of linguistic tools in oratorical prose. New correlation of rhetoric and literature. ”Practical” and “artificial” knowledge. Theophrastus.
• Rhetoric and philosophy II. Concept of Ψυχαγογία. Peripatetics, Stoics (Pergam school). Hermogenes` theory of “ideas”.
• Rhetoric and philology. Theory of styles. Aristotle’s school, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Demetrius, Pseudo-Longinus.
• Rhetoric as system. Rhetoric figures: tropoi, figures of mind, figures of language (speech).

Seminars

• Rhetoric and pedagogy. Gorgias “Encomium on Helen”, “Apology of Palamedes”. Isokrates.
• Rhetoric and practice. Lysias. Methods of language characterization. (Detailed analysis of some speech).
• Rhetoric and politic. Demosthenes. Pathetic and selection of language tools. Syntax’s periods. (Analysis of “III Philippic”).
• Rhetoric and literature.
  a) The beginning of tradition. The speeches in Homer;
  b) Speech in historical narration. Thucydides;
  c) Rhetoric in tragedy. Examples of rhetorical technique in dialogs and speeches (Sophocles or Euripides).
• Rhetoric and philosophy. Plato about rhetoric and stylistics. Methods of discussion conducting in “socratic dialog”.
• Rhetoric and history. The second sophistics. Rhetoric and literary genres. Stylization and imitation in epistle (Socrates, Themistocles) and description (Philostrates).
• Rhetoric and art. The second sophistic. Concert oratorical speech. Herodes Attics, Aelius Aristides. Lucian
• Rhetoric and theory. Aristotle. The art of persuasion according to Aristotle. Kinds of proof.
• Rhetoric and philology. Theory of styles. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Demetrius, Pseudo-Longinus.

Primary texts (excerpts from):

• Aristotle. Rhetoric
• [Aristotle] Rhetoric to Alexander
• Demetrius. On Style
• Demosthenes. Philippic 3
• Dionysius of Halicarnassus.
• Euripides. Medea
• Gorgias. Encomium on Helen, Apology of Palamedes.
• Isokrates.
• Pseudo-Longinus. On the Sublime
• Lucian. Encomium for fly
• Lysias. On the Refusal of a Pension (UPER TOU ADUNATOU)
• Plato. Gorgias, Phaedrus
• Sophocles. Antigone
• Thucydides Pericle’s Funeral speech

Works of modern scholarship (excerpts from):

• Barthes R. L’ancienne Rhètorique. en L’aventure semiologique, Paris, 2002.
• Buchheit V. Untersuchungen zur heorie des Genos Epideiktikon von Gorgias bis Aristoteles. München, 1960
• Jaeger W. Aristoteles, 2 Aufl.Berlin, 1955.
• Kennedy G. The art of persuasion in Greece. Princeton, 1963.
• Martin J. Antike Rhetorik: Technik und Methode. München, 1974.
• Norden E. Die antike Kunstprosa. Bd. I-II Leipzig und Berlin, 1909.
• Ricoeur P. Histoire et rhètorique, Diogène, 168, 1994.

Y. Zabudskaya

Roman Rhetoric

D. Dimitrievich

Lectures and Seminars

• Perception of Greek rhetorical traditions
  1. The Oratory of the Early Roman Republic-fragments of the early Roman oratory
  a) Influences of Greek rhetorical tradition and early Roman drama
  b) Second century Roman oratory against the contemporary political background
  c) Scipio Africanus and Cato the Censor, regarded as personifying the two main cultural developments of their day
• Hellenistic influence and Roman innovations. The Rhetorical Theory and Oratory of the Later Roman Republic
  1. The Rhetorica ad Herennium
  a) Its dependence on Hellenistic rhetorical teaching
  b) Some Roman examples within the work
  2. Cicero’s early speeches-excerpts from the Verrines
  a) Is Cicero’s style in accordance with the precepts from the contemporary rhetorical textbooks?
  b) How much does Cicero owe to his Greek and Roman predecessors?
  c) The question of Cicero’s ‘Asianism’
  3. The De Oratore of Cicero
  a) Strong philosophical and literary elements in this work
  b) Innovations in rhetorical theory
  4. Cicero’s mature style-excerpts from the post reditum speeches
  a) Cicero as an advocate (away from the Roman politics)
  b) Interactions between Cicero’s orations, poetic works, and rhetorical and philosophical writings from the period
  c) Refinement of syntax, style and rhythm (the functional use of archaic, colloquial and poetic elements)
  5. The Brutus and the Orator (Cicero’s rhetorical treatises of the forties)
  a) The comparative study of Roman oratory within the Brutus
  b) The quarrel with the young defendors of Attic style
  6. Cicero’s late style-excerpts from the Philippics
  a) ‘The rhetoric of crisis’: How strong impact of the socio-psychological elements could be on one’s style?
  b) Cicero’s Philippics and their Demosthenic model
• Rhetoric as a doctrine
  The Rhetorical Theory and Oratory of the Roman Empire
  1. Quintilian’s Institutio Oratoria
  a) Cicero as an ideal orator
  b) To what extent did Cicero’s rhetorical theory influence Quintilian’s work?
  2. Pliny’s Panegyric
  a) Is Pliny’s oratorical technique in accordance with the precepts of Quintilian?
  Some features of the ‘silver’ Latin artistry

Bibliography (for Roman rhetoric)

Primary texts (excerpts from):

• Cato the censor, Oratorum Romanorum Fragmenta
• Cicero, Brutus
• De Oratore
• Orator
• Philippics
• Pro Sestio
• Verrines
• Pliny, Panegyric
• Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria
• Rhetorica ad Herennium (an anonymous author)

Works of modern scholarship (excerpts from):

• Corbeill, A. 1996. Controlling Laughter: Political Humor in the Late Roman Republic. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
• Kennedy, G. A. 1968. “The Rhetoric of Advocacy in Greece and Rome.” American Journal of Philology 89: 419-36. 1972.
• The Art of Rhetoric in the Roman World. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Krostenko, B. A. 2001. Cicero, Catullus and the Language of Social Performance. Chicago, London: University of Chicago Press.
• Powell, J. and J. Paterson, ed. 2004. Cicero the Advocate. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Scullard, H. H. 1973. Roman Politics, 220-150 B.C. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Steel, C. E. W. 2001. Cicero, Rhetoric, Empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Vasaly, A. 1993. Representations: Images of the World in Ciceronian Oratory. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Wisse, J. 1989. Ethos and Pathos from Aristotle to Cicero. Amsterdam: Hakkert.

Alternative annotation

Presumably beginning with Plato, critics have brought rhetoric into disrepute. It has been regarded as ‘insincere’, ‘mere display’ or ‘ornament without substance’. This misconception is still wide-spread. Rhetoric was banished from schools and universtites.

Aristotle defended rhetoric against Plato stating that rhetoric is a tool which, like all other human resources, can be abused. Contemporary history confirm that all forms of human knowledge can be misused for evil purposes. Generations no longer trained in rhetoric could not decode the rhetorical tricks of unscrupulous demagogues and the world had fallen into terrible wars and dictatorships.
Finally, why should we study classical rhetoric? Rhetoric turns out to be an important requirement for democratic societies. There is no better training for young citizens than the study of classical rhetoric and the variety of its contributions on civil and human rights.

The aims:

Along the course, and especially towards its end, students should get an overview of the rhetorical system as developed in classical times, illustrated by materials from Aristotle to Quintilian. They should be acquainted with the central role rhetoric has actually played in European culture. Then, they should also be encouraged to study rhetoric as a communicational system used for over two and a half millennia to shape literary and artistic creation. Students should be made aware of the importance of rhetoric, its fundamental issues and its relations to other disciplines, regarding the fact that the culture of speech could not be separated from the broad intellectual background. Finally, students should see rhetoric at work and get a hunger for eloquence.

D. Dimitrievich