Subject
Rhetoric, Ancient Books
Best books
Plato
Phaedrus
"Phaedrus" by Plato is a dialogue written around 370 BC. Socrates encounters the young Phaedrus outside Athens, who has just heard a speech about love. What begins as a countryside stroll becomes an intricate philosophical exploration of love, rhetoric, and the human soul. Through three competing speeches, Socrates and Phaedrus debate whether it's better to favor a lover or a non-lover, ultimately revealing deeper questions about divine madness, the soul's nature, and the proper practice of persuasive speech.
active 1st century Longinus
On the Sublime
"On the Sublime" by Longinus is a work of literary criticism written in the 1st century AD. This Roman-era Greek treatise explores the elements of powerful writing and aesthetic excellence. Through examples spanning a thousand years of literature, the unknown author examines what elevates prose to the sublime, analyzing both masterful and flawed passages from Greek classics to Biblical texts. The work emphasizes moral excellence, stylistic elevation, and simplicity as essential qualities for great writers, while warning against both excessive luxury and constraints on creative freedom.
Plato
Menexenus
"Menexenus" by Plato is a Socratic dialogue traditionally included in the seventh tetralogy. The work consists mainly of a funeral oration that Socrates claims to have learned from Aspasia, a prominent female Athenian philosopher. The speech praises Athens and recounts its military victories while parodying the style of traditional funeral oratory. Unique among Platonic dialogues, the actual conversation serves primarily as exposition for the lengthy oration itself.
Quintilian
M. Fabi Quintiliani institutionis oratoriae liber decimus
"M. Fabi Quintiliani institutionis oratoriae liber decimus" by Quintilian is Book X of a twelve-volume textbook on rhetoric published around 95 AD. Written during Emperor Domitian's oppressive reign, when political oratory had died and corruption flourished, Quintilian's work attempted to revive earlier ideals of oratorical education. Lost for centuries, a complete manuscript was dramatically discovered in a Swiss monastery dungeon in 1416, igniting fervent excitement among Renaissance humanists who had only known fragments for six hundred years.
Charles Sears Baldwin
Ancient rhetoric and poetic : $b Interpreted from representative works
"Ancient Rhetoric and Poetic: Interpreted from Representative Works" by Charles Sears Baldwin is a scholarly treatise written in the early 20th century. It surveys classical theories of rhetoric and poetics through representative authors to recover practical principles of composition for modern readers. The work argues for a twofold view of composition—rhetoric as public, logical persuasion and poetic as imaginative movement—while tracing how ancient practice informs medieval pedagogy and Renaissance criticism. The opening of the book sets out the author’s purpose and method in a preface: to let figures like Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and the author of “On the Sublime” speak for themselves, with a strict focus on composition and a deliberate exclusion of metrics. Chapter I distinguishes rhetoric from poetic not by verse versus prose, but by the kind of movement—idea-to-idea for rhetoric versus image-to-image for poetic—while acknowledging shared stylistic resources and emphasizing the pedagogical value of the distinction. Chapter II then begins a sustained reading of Aristotle’s Rhetoric: Book I defines rhetoric as discerning the available means of persuasion (with the enthymeme as its chief instrument) and maps deliberative, forensic, and occasional speech with their core topics. Book II shifts to the audience, analyzing emotions and character types to guide ethical adaptation. Book III turns to the speech itself—diction, rhythm, the periodic sentence, delivery, and the traditional parts—arguing that prose should be rhythmical but not metrical, and that vivid metaphor, energetic presentation, and apt arrangement make ideas act “before the eyes.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Puhe runoilija Archiaan puolustukseksi
"Puhe runoilija Archiaan puolustukseksi" by Marcus Tullius Cicero is a classical oration written in the 1st century BC. This work falls under the genre of legal rhetoric, and it serves as Cicero’s defense of the poet Archias, who was accused of unlawfully claiming Roman citizenship. Cicero's eloquent discourse highlights the intersection of art, culture, and citizenship in Ancient Rome, illustrating the significance of intellectual contributions to society. In this defense speech, Cicero argues that Archias, a celebrated poet with roots in Antiochia, is deserving of Roman citizenship due to his literary contributions and the esteem in which he is held by prominent figures. He contends that the arts play a vital role in enhancing the glory of the Roman state and that Archias has brought honor through his poetry, which engages with themes of valor and patriotism. Cicero refutes the accusations against Archias, demonstrating his legitimate claim to citizenship through various legal frameworks and societal recognition, ultimately convincing the court to acquit Archias and affirming the importance of poetry in Roman culture.
Quintilian
Unterricht in der Beredsamkeit
"Unterricht in der Beredsamkeit" by Quintilian is a twelve-volume textbook on rhetoric published around 95 AD. Written during Emperor Domitian's oppressive reign, when political oratory had become dangerous, Quintilian's work preserved classical ideals of eloquence. The text covers the complete education of an orator, from early childhood training through mastery of persuasive speech. It explores rhetoric's foundations, methods of argument, and the famous five canons—invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Lost for centuries, this comprehensive guide profoundly influenced Renaissance humanism after its rediscovery in 1416.
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