Rhetoric - Hardcover

Aristotle

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Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1613827520 ISBN 13: 9781613827529

Publisher: Simon & Brown, 2016

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Aristotle's legendary treatise on speech explains and instructs on the powers of oratory to move and persuade people.

Composed amid the popular Greek culture, in which aspiring and reigning politicians would perfect the oratorical arts to influence voting and their subjects, Rhetoric is a summation of an art whose poignancy and power could change the face of an entire society.

Mindful of the distinctions to be made between speech with an emotional argument, and speech espousing a rational argument, Aristotle examines both while making further subdivisions. Together with the qualities essential in the actual speech, the philosopher also mentions the knowledge which all speakers aspiring to public office should hold ahead of giving speeches.

The ideals of his forebear and tutor Plato have a presence within Aristotle's works, and Rhetoric is no exception. Aristotle frequently alludes to how able rhetoricians should behave, and how their gifts should be put to best use in the service of the society and the state.

Other passages are concerned with emotional states relevant to the topic, with emotions such as envy and indignation examined. The means by which men imitate one another, and the various different characters of men, are also considered.

This well-composed translation of Rhetoric is by John Henry Freese, a Cambridge historian and scholar of classics who was a notable contributor to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

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From the Back Cover:

One of the seminal works of Western philosophy, Aristotle's Rhetoric vastly influenced all subsequent thought on the subject—philosophical, political, and literary. Focusing on the use of language as both a vehicle and a tool to shape persuasive argument, Aristotle delineates with remarkable insight both practical and aesthetic elements and their proper combination in an effective presentation, oral or written. He also emphasizes the role of language in achieving precision and clarity of thought.
The ancients regarded rhetoric as the crowning intellectual discipline—the synthesis of logical principles and other knowledge attained from years of schooling. Modern readers will find considerable relevance in Aristotelian rhetoric and its focus on developing persuasive tools of argumentation. Aristotle's examinations of how to compose and interpret speeches offer significant insights into the language and style of contemporary communications, from advertisements to news reports and other media.

About the Author:

Other works by the renowned classical scholar, translator, and literary critic Francis Fergusson include "The Idea of a Theater: A Study of Ten Plays," "Sallies of the Mind: Essays," "Trope and Allegory: Themes Common to Dante and Shakespeare," and "Dante's Drama of the Mind: A Modern Reading of the "Purgatorio.
Translator and scholar S. H. Butcher served as editor for the Dover Thift Edition of the "Poetics," as well as for the "Orationes, Volume 1" by Demosthenes. Butcher is also the author of "Aristotle's Theory of Poetry and Fine Art,"

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