Elegance (elegantia) of Elocution in the Coverage of Russian 18th Century Rhetorical Books in Latin

Abstract

The subject of the research is the concept of elegance of style in the coverage of Russian handwritten rhetorical manuals of the 18th century in Latin. On the example of one of the most important requirements for eloquence, the peculiarities of ideas about style in Russian rhetoric of the 18th century are revealed. The texts of handwritten manuals compiled in Moscow, Kolomna, Nizhny Novgorod, Vologda, Ryazan, Smolensk are analyzed in the context of the New Latin rhetorical sources, among which the most important are the rhetorical treatises of Feofan Prokopovich and Johann Gottlieb Heineckius, dating back to the first half of the 18th century. Their influence on the formation of Russian rhetorical thought is traced. As a result of the study, conclusions were drawn about the sources of the concept of elegance of style as the most important quality of eloquence, various interpretations of the concept of elegance in separate manuals were considered, and the main components of this concept were identified. A special contribution of the author to the study of this topic is that the texts of educational handwritten books intended for teaching rhetoric in secular and religious educational institutions of Russia in the 18th century have become the material of scientific analysis. The results obtained shed light on the Latin stage of the formation of Russian rhetoric and can be used for further research in this area.