rhetoric, Greek
rhetoric, GreekThe art of public speaking (rhētorikē (sc. technē)) was vitally important in ancient city-states, and it was generally supposed to be teachable, at least to some extent. This article surveys the development of this teaching in the Greek-speaking world, and offers a summary of the system in which it was generally organized. The concepts and terminology of rhetoric are almost entirely Greek: the Romans provided a wider field of activity for the teachers, and certain new emphases in response to practical needs.
Effective speaking of course existed long before any theory or teaching. Later rhetors wisely referred pupils to the speeches in Homer (see Quintilian 10. 1. 46 ff.), and his descriptions of the oratory of the heroes (see literary criticism in antiquity, §2) were taken as evidence that ‘rhetoric’ was known in his day. In fact, the teaching of these...
[The entire page is 1585 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
