Quintilian in the Graeco-Roman Rhetorical Tradition

Quintilian’s Institutio oratoria (c.95 ce) provides a comprehensive statement on education based on the author’s belief that the study of rhetoric was essential both for the growth of the individual and also for serving the welfare of the state through effective leadership that united wisdom with eloquence. Quintilian’s Institutio is often identified exclusively as a work of Roman rhetoric. Viewing the Institutio as uniquely Roman is understandable. In the Institutio, Quintilian often used Cicero—the pre-eminent orator and rhetorician of the Roman Republic—as a model whose career illustrated the best features of Roman rhetoric and citizenship. However, viewing Quintilian’s Institutio as exclusively Roman distorts the influence that Greek rhetoric had on Quintilian’s work. Quintilian, and even his Roman model Cicero, were both influenced by Greek rhetoric, especially the contributions of Isocrates. Quintilian’s Institutio is better understood, and appreciated, as a ratio or system that was built upon a foundation of Hellenic rhetoric and a shining example of the Graeco-Roman rhetorical tradition. This chapter reveals a spectrum of Greek contributions in Quintilian’s Institutio ranging from isolated technical concepts to an overarching philosophy of civic rhetoric predicated on the officia or ‘duties’ of good, virtuous citizens eloquently applying rhetoric for social betterment. Quintilian’s use and command of Greek rhetoric is well demonstrated and his indebtedness to Greek sources for crafting his own ‘Roman’ rhetoric is evident throughout his Institutio.

Quintilian in Late Antiquity

This chapter provides a complete survey of the reception of Quintilian in late Antiquity. A brief note on the general literature and research tools available for the study of this vast topic, and on the key testimonies from the fourth until the seventh century, highlighting Quintilian’s fame as teacher of rhetoric and author of the Institutio and the Declamationes, is followed by a discussion of the influence of the Institutio on Christian education and on Christian thought, notably on Jerome, Lactantius, Hilary of Poitiers, Tyconius, Orosius, and Cassiodorus. Quintilian’s importance for the history of grammar is difficult to determine, but similarities between the grammatical chapters of the Institutio and the grammatical treatises of late Antiquity suggest that there may have been some direct influence. Donatus never cites Quintilian, while other grammarians such as Priscian, Diomedes, and Rufinus occasionally mention him or clearly make use of the Institutio. The influence of the Institutio on the so-called Minor Latin Rhetoricians is difficult to prove, but it is clear that the summaries, compilations, specialized monographs, and commentaries which form the substance of the rhetorical tradition in late Antiquity define themselves in one way or another by their relation to the Institutio. There was also some influence of the Institutio on the encyclopaedists Martianus Capella, Cassiodorus, and Isidorus. It was also in late Antiquity that the collections of Major Declamations and Minor Declamations were ascribed to Quintilian.

Creating the Ancient Rhetorical Tradition

This book explores the history of rhetorical thought and examines the gradual association of different aspects of rhetorical theory with two outstanding fourth-century BCE writers: Lysias and Isocrates. It highlights the parallel development of the rhetorical tradition that became understood, on the one hand, as a domain of style and persuasive speech, associated with the figure of Lysias, and, on the other, as a kind of philosophical enterprise which makes significant demands on moral and political education in antiquity, epitomized in the work of Isocrates. There are two pivotal moments in which the two rhetoricians were pitted against each other as representatives of different modes of cultural discourse: Athens in the fourth century BCE, as memorably portrayed in Plato's Phaedrus, and Rome in the first century BCE when Dionysius of Halicarnassus proposes to create from the united Lysianic and Isocratean rhetoric the foundation for the ancient rhetorical tradition.

A Reflection on the Digitization of Classical Rhetoric for Pedagogical Uses

In today's world, the traditional means of the dissemination of knowledge have become replaced by advanced digital platforms. This, alongside the context of the global pandemic that has propelled the usage of technological tools in the classroom, has created a conducive environment for innovative pedagogy. In this paper, a case for the digitization of classical rhetorical texts for pedagogical purposes is presented. To do this, principles of digital rhetoric are brought up followed by various examples of how the digital has been embraced (in the context of the wider principles of digital rhetoric) already in the pedagogical sphere. Finally, a potential proposal for an extension of the present work was put forward. Digitization and technology widely are the norms of our day and age. In viewing these elements from a pedagogical perspective, what can be seen is that there is an enormous opportunity not only in teaching the students that will walk through our doors but in preserving the rhetorical tradition that intrigues and fascinates the larger community of scholarship.

Understanding the revolt: «Man the Technician» in global rhetoric

We have used quotations that McLuhan cited from the works of Ortega y Gasset, never been commented, for comparing the concurrence between the analyses of the “revolt of the masses” and “return to the village” in the network. This review discerns how both descriptions converge in a framework that fosters the unlimited expansion of face-to-face relationships which, by encouraging remote adherence to virtual identities, fosters a plethora of communicative practices. Internet encourages persuasive stratagems that foster rhetorical turmoil, which makes it impossible to distinguish sound arguments from those that are fallacious, and credible from false information. “Populism,” “fake news,” and “post-truth” suddenly appeared in everyday language as a sign of this rhetorical transience that fosters the collision of identities in the regressive, technological anchor of “back to the tribes” in the “global village.” Having analysed the concomitance of McLuhan and Ortega from a phenomenological perspective, which has into account emotion in the argumentative process, the conclusions focus on proposals for restoring deliberative norms that have become diluted during modernity and whose meaning endures in normative practices akin to the rhetorical tradition.

Nationalism as an argument in contemporary Russia. Four perspectives on language in action

This dissertation analyses the uses of the concept of nationalism in Russia from a historical perspective. It is based on four empirical studies examining textual material produced between the years 2000 and 2020. During this time, and after the so-called “conservative turn” in particular, the state leadership in Russia adopted increasingly authoritarian policies vis-à-vis society, and started to portray Russia as being under an external threat. The annexation of Crimea and the onset of the war in Ukraine in 2014 solidified the way in which recent political changes in Russia were characterised as “growing nationalism”. In this temporal context, the study suggests that nationalist discourses are currently shifting, and traces these shifts in scholarly and everyday language. The negative connotations of nationalism in everyday language affect its scholarly use, which is why the aspects of nationalism as an analytical concept, as well as the complex relationship between the concept and the term itself, are expounded in the study. Following the tradition of critical nationalism studies, the dissertation approaches the ‘nation’ as a political claim that results from a constructive process in language. The dissertation draws on the rhetorical tradition of conceptual history in analysing specific concepts, metaphors and narratives within nationalist discourses as a means of framing politics. The way language is used simultaneously defines the boundaries of actual policies. More specifically, the rhetorical choices of politicians map the conditions of belonging to a nation, duly having real implications for people’s lives.

The Reception of Classical Literature and Ancient Myth

The reception of classical literature in Byzantium was a tense field, as ancient texts were socially and intellectually prestigious but religiously and theologically dangerous. Moreover, the rhetorical tradition in which Byzantine scholars were trained applied the same categories of analysis to both pagan and Christian texts, and linguistic affinity was not overridden by religious alienation. This chapter, focusing on the reception of texts about the gods, traces how Byzantine readers and writers coped with these tensions and found ways to ameliorate them. Pagan and Christian paradigms were at times juxtaposed, combined, or placed in an overt hierarchy. Through their selection of texts and commentaries on them, Byzantine scholars played a major role in shaping the modern “classical canon,” though this process is largely ignored by modern classical scholars. The chapter surveys the technologies (ideological and material) of this reception. How did the Byzantines cope with the gods?

El elogio como expresión de agudeza en la universidad novohispana en el siglo XVIII

This paper aims to describe the horizon of expectations concerning praise or eulogy as a literary subgenre in New Spain’s 18th century. I tackle its background in European Renaissance, its affiliation with the rhetorical tradition of acumen or acuity, its inclusion in the university practices of New Spain and the controversy that arose because of that. Although not all intellectuals from New Spain decided to add acumen to university eulogies, the tradition of doing so prevailed.

The Rhetorical Construction of Corporate Public Apologies

In this major research paper (MRP), I analyzed the ways in which rhetorical strategies are used in the construction of corporate public apologies. Organizational reputation management has become increasingly important in the digital age. When companies are criticized or accused of wrongdoing, it is essential to issue a timely and effective response to salvage stakeholder relationships. Speaking from the Rhetorical Tradition, Aristotle demonstrated that the art of persuasion is largely built upon three rhetorical appeals: the appeal to pathos (emotion), ethos (character), and logos (logic). Through methods of coding and rhetorical analyses, I examined 7 corporate public apologies released by high profile companies between 2008 and 2012. I found that corporate public apologies tend to appeal to ethos more than any other means of persuasion. Reflecting good organizational character is therefore, germane to organizations in crisis. Employed the least was the appeal to logos, or logic. I found that this rhetorical strategy was used primarily to strengthen other persuasive appeals such as appeals to emotion or character. Logos, used in isolation, was rare and arguably ineffective. It is in my opinion that the focus on rhetorical strategies is lacking in public relations literature. To conclude, I made several recommendations to organizations responding to criticisms or accusations of misconduct. These recommendations are to be taken with the understanding that their effectiveness was not considered for this project.