Plutarch And Rhetoric

La rhetorique, aussi bien l'art oratoire comme tel que la science dont il est l'objet, renvoie aux dimensions les plus essentielles de l'existence humaine: la possibilite de l'intellingence, de la communication, de l'intercomprehension et d'une certaine elegance. A ce titre, cette discipline a fait l'objet, durant les dernieres decennies, d'une attention soutenue de la part de pratiquement toutes les sciences humaines. Le present recueil contient les contributions presentees au IVme Congres international de la Plutarch Society (Leuven, 3-6 juin 1996), consacre au theme "Rhetorical Theory and Praxis in Plutarch". Beaucoup d'ecirts de Plutarque sont marques par sa formation rhetorique; d'autres par contre, contiennent des elements de reflexion sur le role de l'ars bene dicendi, aussi bien dans la vie des puissants que dans celle de l'homme du commun. Ces Actes contiennent en outre des etudes qui eclairent le theme de la rhetorique a partir des points de vue philologique, psychologique, historique et sociologique et explicitent ainsi le climat spirituel dans lequel evoluait un Grec cultive a l'epoque romaine.

A fundamental reappraisal of Plutarch’s attitude towards rhetoric. Plutarch was not only a skilled writer, but also lived during the Second Sophistic, a period of cultural renaissance. This book offers new insights into Plutarch’s seemingly moderate attitude towards rhetoric. The hypothesis explored in this study introduces, for the first time, the broader literary and cultural contexts that influenced and restricted the scope of Plutarch’s message. When these contexts are considered, a new perspective emerges that differs from that found in earlier studies. It paints a picture of a philosopher who may not regard rhetoric as a lesser means of persuasion, but who faces challenges in openly articulating this stance in his public discourse.

This volume provides a complete translation of, and historical and historiographical commentary on, the lives of the ten Attic orators given by Pseudo-Plutarch, Photius, and the Suda. Assessing these works as important historical sources for the individual lives and careers of the orators whose works have survived, this systematic study explores how these literary biographies were constructed, the information they provide, and their veracity. In-depth commentary notes offer contextual information, explain references and examine individual rhetorical phrases, and a glossary of technical terms provides a quick reference guide to the more obscure oratorical and political terms. The volume also includes a detailed introduction which discusses the evolution of Greek oratory and rhetoric; the so-called Canon of the Ten Orators; the authorship, dates, and sources of the biographies provided by Pseudo-Plutarch, Photius, and the Suda; and a brief consideration of orators whose speeches were either falsely attributed to Demosthenes or may be referenced in the ancient lives.

This book offers a counter-traditional account of the history of both rhetoric and poetics. In reply to traditional rhetorical histories, which view "rhetoric" primarily as an art of practical civic oratory, the book argues in four extended essays that epideictic-poetic eloquence was central, even fundamental, to the rhetorical tradition in antiquity. In essence, Jeffrey Walker's study accomplishes what in the world of rhetoric studies amounts to a revolution: he demonstrates that in antiquity rhetoric and poetry could not be viewed separately.

Originally published as La Rhétorique dans l'Antiquité (2000), this new English edition provides students with a valuable introduction to understanding the classical art of rhetoric and its place in ancient society and politics

Plutarch's focus on the great leaders of the classical world, his anecdotal style, and his self-presentation as a good-natured friend and wise counsellor have appealed over the centuries to a wide audience, persons as diverse as Beethoven and Benjamin Franklin, Shakespeare and Harry Truman. This collection of essays on Plutarch's Parallel Lives examines the moral issues Plutarch recognized behind political leadership, and relates his writings to the audience of leading generals and administrators of the Roman empire which he aimed to influence, and to the larger social and political context of the reigns of the Flavian emperors and their successors, Nerva and Trajan, during which he wrote. The essays explore Plutarch's considered views on how his contemporaries could - and we ourselves can - learn from the successes and failures of the great men of the past. -- Dust jacket

In this volume, various aspects of Plutarch's view of 'philotimia' are analysed in detail and compared with the position of several authors of the 'Second Sophistic'. This confrontation challenges the often implicit and unquestioned consensus that Plutarch occupies as a singular figure 'his own space' apart from the 'Second Sophistic'. The broad approach and focus of this volume includes problems of textual criticism, comparative analysis, careful semantic studies of the occurrences of the term 'philotimia' in the different authors, moral-philosophical reflection on ambition, a study of philosophy as a field of honour, and the dynamics of the author's own 'philotimia' placed in the contemporary cultural context. The novel assessments of the different authors that are presented in this collection contribute to a proper understanding of their own (rhetorical/philosophical) culture and of their cultural environment. As a result, the monograph will be of interest to those studying Plutarch and the history of philosophy, rhetoric and the 'Second Sophistic'.