Didactics of Aristotelian Rhetoric

1. Didactics of Aristotelian Rhetoric Vita Paparinska University of Latvia Colloquium Balticum Lundense XI November 8-10, 2012

2. Aristotle’s Target Audience Aristotle is writing for: • the legislator of an ideal city; • the Athenian public or an elite subset of that public; • for multiple audiences over an extended period of time; • his studentsattheLycaeum.

3. Questions • Did AristotleusehisRhetoric - as a wholeorpartsof it - inteaching? • isAristotelianRhetoricsuitablefordidacticpurposes, i.e., does it correspond to thecriteriaofa didactictext?

4. Theoretical Sources • TractatusCoislinianus • DiomedisGrammatici Ars grammatica (4th century AD) • Servii Mauri Honorati PraefatioadGeorgica(4th century AD)

5. Theoretical Sources Educational / teachingtexts (paideutikh_ poi/hsij): • instructive / descriptivetexts(u(fhghtikh_ poi/hsij) • contemplative / speculativetexts(qewrhtikh_ poi/hsij) (Tractatus Coislinianus.1) ... speciesdidascalice ... inquopoetaipseloquitursineulliuspersonaeinterlocutione ... (DiomedisGrammaticiArs grammatica.17-18) Hilibrididascalicisunt, undenecesseest, utadaliquemscribantur; nampraeceptumetdoctorisetdiscipulipersonamrequirit. (ServiiPraefatioadGeorgica. 129.9-12)

6. πρῶτονμὲνοὖνληπτέονπερὶποῖαἀγαθὰ ἢ κακὰ ὁ συμβουλεύωνσυμβουλεύει, ἐπειδὴοὐπερὶἅπανταἀλλ᾽ ὅσαἐνδέχεταικαὶγενέσθαικαὶμή. (1.4.1) Wemustfirstascertainaboutwhatkindofgoodorbadthingsthedeliberativeoratoradvises, sincehecannot do soabouteverything, butonlyaboutthingswhichmaypossiblyhappenor not.

7. περὶμὲνοὖντῶνἀτέχνων πίστεωνεἰρήσθωτοσαῦτα(1.15.33) Let this suffice for the inartificial proofs.

8. [ἡ ῥητορικὴ] ἔστιγὰρμόριόντιτῆςδιαλεκτικῆςκαὶὁμοίωμα, καθάπερκαὶἀρχόμενοιεἴπομεν: περὶοὐδενὸςγὰρὡρισμένουοὐδετέρααὐτῶνἐστινἐπιστήμηπῶςἔχει, ἀλλὰδυνάμειςτινὲςτοῦπορίσαιλόγους. περὶμὲνοὖντῆςδυνάμεωςαὐτῶν, καὶπῶςἔχουσιπρὸςἀλλήλας, εἴρηταισχεδὸνἱκανῶς (1.2.7-8) For, aswesaidattheoutset, Rhetoricis a sortofdivisionorlikenessofDialectic, sinceneitherofthemis a sciencethatdealswiththenatureofanydefinitesubject, buttheyaremerelyfacultiesoffurnishing arguments. Wehavenowsaidnearlyenoughaboutthefacultiesofthese arts andtheirmutualrelations.

9. ὧν μὲν οὖν δεῖ ὀρέγεσθαι προτρέποντας ὡς ἐσομένων ἢ ὄντων, καὶ ἐκ τίνων δεῖ τὰς περὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος πίστεις λαμβάνειν, ἔτι δὲ τῶν περὶ τὰς πολιτείας ἠθῶν καὶ νομίμων διὰ τίνων τε καὶ πῶς εὐπορήσομεν, ἐφ᾽ ὅσον ἦν τῷ παρόντι καιρῷ σύμμετρον, εἴρηται. (1.8.7) We have now stated what things, whether future or present, should be the aim of those who recommend a certain course; from what topics they should derive their proofs of expediency; further, the ways and means of being well equipped for dealing with the characters and institutions of each form of government, so far as was within the scope of the present occasion.

10. ὁμοίωςδὲ καὶ οἱ ἐπαινοῦντες καὶ οἱψέγοντεςοὐσκοποῦσιν εἰ συμφέροντα ἔπραξεν ἢ βλαβερά, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἐπαίνῳ πολλάκις τιθέασιν ὅτι ὀλιγωρήσας τοῦ αὑτῷ λυσιτελοῦντος ἔπραξεν ὅ τι καλόν, οἷον Ἀχιλλέα ἐπαινοῦσιν ὅτι ἐβοήθησε τῷ ἑταίρῳ Πατρόκλῳ εἰδὼς ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν ἀποθανεῖν ἐξὸν ζῆν. τούτῳδὲ ὁ μὲντοιοῦτοςθάνατος κάλλιον, τὸ δὲ ζῆν συμφέρον. (1.3.6). Similarly, those who praise or blame do not consider whether a man has done what is expedient or harmful, but frequently make it a matter for praise that, disregarding his own interest, he performed some deed of honor. For example, they praise Achilles because he went to the aid of his comrade Patroclus, knowing that he was fated to die, although he might have lived. To him such a death was more honorable, although life was more expedient.

11. ὥστε παραδείγματος χάριν λάβωμεν τί ἐστιν ὡς ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν ἡ εὐδαιμονία, καὶ ἐκτίνωντὰμόρια ταύτης (1.5.2) Therefore, for the sake of illustration, let us ascertain what happiness, generally speaking, is, and what its parts consist in.

12. Thank you for attention!