Classical Rhetoric Research Articles

Die Macht der Dissimulation

Abstract This paper reconstructs and discusses a shift in meaning that has taken place in the modern history of the concealment of art, a history that begins in classical rhetoric. It first shows how the ars-est-celare-artem doctrine was taken up in the early modern period by authors such as Accetto, Castiglione and Gracián and translated into a concept of sprezzatura, an art of disguising that has both aesthetic and political implications. The authors in question emphasize the difference between manipulative deception (simulazione) and an ethically acceptable disguise (dissimulazione), a deliberate concealment of one’s own arts, skills and abilities, which on the one hand provides protection in a power-dominated courtly culture, and on the other is linked to the aesthetic ideals of grace and naturalness. The distinction between simulazione and dissimulazione, which was very common in the Baroque period in particular, faded into oblivion in the 18th century. Dissimulation now tended to be fully integrated into the concept of simulation.

Produktives Täuschen. Dissimulatio artis zwischen Rhetorik und Philosophie

Abstract In our paper, we discuss the role of deception (apáte) in the conflict between rhetoric and philosophy. While Parmenides and Plato seek to escape the possibility of being deceived in general, their counterparts, the sophists and early theorists of rhetoric, emphasize that this is neither possible nor desirable. In contrast to their philosophical contemporaries, they do not assume a dualism of truth and deception, but rather a gradualist spectrum that contains many shades of gray. Furthermore, they emphasize a certain productivity of particular deceptions that can help us increase our imagination and prefigure possibilities of life and praxis that would not be possible without being deceived. Moreover, we ask whether and how the potential of classical rhetoric for theorizing deception can be used for a critique of deception that is aware of its own proneness to illusions. The guiding hypothesis is that rhetoric, as a technique of verbal deception, can also provide an important key for criticizing deceptive strategies. This applies in particular to the concept of dissimulatio artis, which goes back to Aristotle’s Rhetoric and had been developed further by Quintilian, Ovid, and the anonymous author of the treatise Perí hýpsous. This concept makes it possible to describe simulations of unsimulatedness in philosophy as well as in politics.

Ancient China’s Political Culture in the Classics —On the Base of “Three Appeals” in Western Classical Rhetoric

“Zouyi” is a kind of official document written by court officials and submitted to the emperor in ancient China, which serves the purpose of persuading. Aristotle’s “three appeals”, which consist of ethos, pathos and logos, perform the rhetorical function of persuading. Based on this, some correlation between China’s classics and Western classic thought comes into view. This paper selects three representative Zouyi: “qian chu shi biao”, “zhi an ce” and “jian Tai Zong Shi si shu” and gives primary attention to analyzing the “three appeals” presented in the selected discourses. This analysis will gain a glimpse into the rich political and cultural codes hidden within ancient China’s memorials, the relationship between the emperor and his ministers/officials, and the deep patriotism of the ministers in ancient China.

The similarities in the speeches of pro-independence leaders in Catalonia and Scotland. Classical rhetoric in presidents Puigdemont and Salmond

The similarities in the speeches of pro-independence leaders in Catalonia and Scotland. Classical rhetoric in presidents Puigdemont and Salmond

Polemik und Geschichtsschreibung bei Thomas Abbt

Abstract The article examines the historiographical concepts of Thomas Abbt (1738–1766) in their polemical references, especially in the Berliner Literaturbriefe. By means of polemics, Abbt outlines his idea of ‘pragmatic history’ in contrast to contemporary historical attempts, namely J.C. Harenberg’s History of the Jesuits, C.F. Pauli’s Heroic Tales, a historical novel by J.G.H. v. Justi and P.E. Bertram’s Spanish History. Therefore, history must unite three claims: a pragmatic one with regard to its political utility, an epistemic one concerning an unconditional claim to objectivity and non-fictionality, and an aesthetic-stylistic one, according to which only a style schooled in classical rhetoric and ancient historiography can guarantee the utility and truth of history. Hence, Abbt’s polemic against misguided historiography is essentially articulated as a critique of style.

Vorüberlegungen für eine translationsrelevante Klassifikation von Personifizierungen: Sekundäre Subjektivierung und Definitionskollisionen im Bereich Bildhafte Sprache

Abstract To facilitate idiomaticity, translation practice and translation didactics require that the linguistic phenomenon of personification be handled confidently when translating into German. At first glance, the term personification appears to be well defined. However, on closer inspection it becomes clear that the term is used in different ways by classical rhetoric on the one hand and by linguistics and translation studies on the other. This becomes clear when examining the phenomenon of secondary subjectification, which a) causes problems of idiomaticity and b) is often – wrongly – seen as synonymous with personification. The manuals of classical rhetoric, despite being generally consulted first by researchers, do not consider secondary subjectification and thus do not provide a complete view of the concept of personification. In order to describe the problem more precisely, the present paper will go beyond purely stylistic-idiomatic concerns by taking into account the functional side of figurative language. This involves emphasizing that not every personification is automatically a secondary subjectification. In German, however, secondary subjectifications can have the same effect as personifications, which can cause problems of idiomaticity. In order to provide some clarification, we suggest establishing a specific classification of personifications for translational purposes.

Comparing verbal and visual rhetoric – and the danger of “empirical shorthands”

Abstract This paper will evaluate the quantitative content analysis of visual rhetoric which has been put forward by George Rossolatos in the context of audio-visuality and marketing research. Rossolatos bases his taxonomy of visual rhetorical figures on Groupe µ’s adaptation of classical rhetoric in Rhétorique génerale (1970). With the aim of creating a systematic model for marketing analysis, he and his collaborators have coded and classified an extensive number of audiovisual commercials from the top international strata of economically valuable brands. For comparison, I have during a period of four years given undergraduates the task of collecting and categorizing a minimum of ten audio-visual commercials, each of which should exemplify one of the figures referred to by Rossolatos. The outcomes of the task indicate that a random explorative study with a minimum of operationalization and training of coders is enough for obtaining results akin to those reported by Rossolatos. This may be regarded as a positive outcome from a pedagogical point of view, but it may also raise the suspicion that Rossolatos’s criteria are merely intuitive. If the incidence of visual rhetorical figures is to be studied as an independent content variable of audio-visual enunciations, the values/figures should be described with greater caution.

Tediousness in Coryats Crudities (1611): early modern travel writing, rhetoric, and notions of canonicity

ABSTRACT Despite its increasing prominence in university syllabi and anthologies, travel writing continues to be excluded from the canon of early modern literature. Its exclusion can be attributed to the view, articulated explicitly and implicitly, that its formal and stylistic conventions render it insufficiently ‘literary’. Such assessments reveal a tendency to read early modern travel accounts using aesthetic criteria that are anachronistic, disconnected from the discursive contexts in which these accounts were originally written and read. This article examines one of the genre’s most distinctive features, one which has shaped its relationship to notions of literary value and canonicity: its preoccupation with particulars, something early modern and modern readers alike characterise as ‘tedious’. Focusing on Thomas Coryate’s eponymous Coryats Crudities (1611), it situates the particularity of early modern travel writing within the reconstructed contexts of classical rhetoric, early modern poetics, and travel advice, placing special emphasis on the rhetorical quality of enargeia, or vividness. In addition to offering a fresh assessment of the Crudities and modelling a new approach to the study of travel writing more generally, the article reflects on how we can expand our sense of what early modern literature might be said to comprise.

A Rhetorical Deconstruction of Amanda Palmer's Poem on the Boston Marathon Bombing; 'Empathy is Nothing'

Terrorism in the United States, particularly highlighted by the infamous 9/11 attacks, continued to be a persistent concern. This study investigated the intricate relationship between terrorism and sporting events and examining the emergence of global-local terrorism, exemplified by the Boston bombers. Methodologically, this research incorporated Amanda Palmer's poem written in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. Using qualitative analysis, the study examined the rhetorical elements and appeals employed in the poem to convey the emotional toll and complexities faced by individuals in the aftermath of terrorism. Thematic analysis reveals recurring rhetorical strategies, emphasizing the transformative influence of art and the human spirit during difficulty. The researcher employed classical rhetoric to dissect the poem, exploring ethos, pathos, logos, and other rhetorical elements to assess its persuasive and artistic effectiveness. This comprehensive analysis contributes valuable insights into the rhetorical strategies used by artists in addressing societal challenges and highlights the importance of empathy and compassion in artistic expression.

Rhetorical Techniques to Increase Audience Confidence in the Speaker (Based on the Speeches of the Pleadings in Jury Trial)

The research has examined trust as a communicative category describing the relationship between the speaker and the audience, and explored techniques to enhance audience confidence in the speaker used by court speakers when speaking to jurors. The authors proceed from the idea that the presence/absence of trust (both unidirectional and mutual) between the speaker and the audience is one of the factors in the effectiveness of the speech impact exerted on the audience. The discussion of the role of trust in communication relies on classical rhetoric and on the ideas of modern humanities: law, political science, social psychology, sociology, psychology of interpersonal communication, economics, media linguistics. As a result of the analysis of classical and modern speeches in the jury court, a system of six rhetorical techniques was proposed to strengthen the audience's confidence in the speaker: 1) demonstration of self-confidence and position, verbalization of lack of doubt, presence of a clear position, determination and firmness of action; 2) demonstration of competence, high level of knowledge and professionalism; 3) demonstration of respect for the jury, emphasis on the significance of their role in the trial, including through praise and compliments; 4) demonstration of interest for the outcome of the case, for the fate of the participants in the court session, including demonstration of sympathy and compassion for the plaintiff; 5) verbalization of a sense of responsibility for the development of society, reflection on how the deed will affect the future of society; 6) appeal to ethical and/or religious values, ideas and imperatives.

Critical analysis on advertising discourses

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) appeared in the early 1990s and has become increasingly popular as an interdisciplinary approach to analyzing various types of discourse. The roots of CDA lie in classical Rhetoric, Textlinguistics and Sociolinguistics, as well as in Applied Linguistics and Pragmatics (Wodak, 2002, p.7-8). It sees discourse as language use in speech and writing and as a social practice. Its feature of being social practice means discursive cases have a dialectical interaction with social situations, institutions, and structures that surround them. They constantly influence and shape each other. CDA focuses on the relationship between language and power and is primarily concerned with investigating the explicit and implicit structural relations of domination, discrimination, power, and control as manifested in language. As transferred from Wodak (2001, p. 2), for Habermas, “Language is also a medium of domination and social force. It serves to legitimize relations of organized power. In so far as the legitimations of power relations, . . . are not articulated, . . . language is also ideological.” Ideologies are the fundamental frameworks for organizing the social cognitions that members of social groups, organizations, or institutions share. CDA seeks to demystify discourses by deciphering ideologies (Dijk, 1995, p. 18; Wodak, 2002, p.10). This paper aims to explore the relationship between discourse and social cognition, to analyze critically the language of advertisement, and to clarify how social structure and institutions are affected by advertising discourses.

Authenticity of political rhetoric of people

Abstract In our paper, we address the question of the authenticity of political rhetoric which uses the inclusive term “the people”. We build on the knowledge of classical rhetoric on the importance of sincerity, one of the fundamental pillars of a speaker’s ethos (character) and at the same time a prerequisite for his credibility. We introduce the term “rhetoric of people” to designate that part of deliberative rhetoric that addresses the people in a significant way, and bears their sealing in content, stylistic and argumentative plan. We especially single out populist rhetoric only as a special case of the rhetoric of people, in which there is a pragmatic use of authenticity as a tool to achieve specific social goals linked to the political capital of the speaker, primarily to image creation (we put it in opposition to charisma). Since style is a significant bearer of speech authenticity, our aim is to identify the stylistic values and stylistic strategies applied in the interest of authenticity and to elucidate them as instances of sincerity or, conversely, pretense. In doing so, we draw on the pragmatic grasp of linguistic style developed in the work of Professor Juraj Dolník (2010; 2023), who explains style through its anthropic character and social meaning.

Ancient China’s Political Culture in the Classics —On the Base of “Three Appeals” in Western Classical Rhetoric

“Zouyi” is a kind of official document written by court officials and submitted to the emperor in ancient China, which serves the purpose of persuading. Aristotle’s “three appeals”, which consist of ethos, pathos and logos, perform the rhetorical function of persuading. Based on this, some correlation between China’s classics and Western classic thought comes into view. This paper selects three representative Zouyi: “qian chu shi biao”, “zhi an ce” and “jian Tai Zong Shi si shu” and gives primary attention to analyzing the “three appeals” presented in the selected discourses. This analysis will gain a glimpse into the rich political and cultural codes hidden within ancient China’s memorials, the relationship between the emperor and his ministers/officials, and the deep patriotism of the ministers in ancient China.

Being an expert in pandemic times: negotiating epistemic authority in a media interaction

Since the so-called phase one of the Coronavirus pandemic, media professionals have shown great attention to communication about the epidemic, so much so that a “glottology of COVID-19” has even been advocated to reflect on war metaphors referring to the disease. Despite media solicitations, however, reflection on communication at the time of COVID was not immediately the subject of linguistic analysis, at least in the Italian context. However, the issue of the relationship between language and culture, society, and thought has recently been explored in the face of the limitation of only formal analyses on language at the time of COVID. In the first stage, it quickly became apparent that the people in charge of institutional communication were used to talking mostly with experts on public health problems or research results, without the necessary training to modulate their language according to the degree of specialization of the audience. Instead, it is currently possible to detect an improvement in communication skills, and to observe the emergence of opposing factions with respect to the new resources of both preventive and therapeutic medicine, respectively the pro-vax and no-vax movements. These issues have been the focus of many Italian TV talk shows, such as the program “Non è l'Arena.” In the episode of 9/25/21, which is the subject of this article, the positions expressed in favor of one argument or the other would seem to adopt different mechanisms for managing the epistemic mode of certainty/uncertainty, such as semantic-syntactic and rhetorical-pragmatic devices, as well as conversational moves. This paper is aimed at describing the management of certainty/uncertainty in a media context through the qualitative fine-grained analysis of the interactional exchanges between host and representatives of opposite views in the dual theoretical framework of classical rhetoric and conversational analysis (CA), which, although starting from different scientific paths, share the vision of the centrality of speech in human action. The CA analysis indicated that, whilst the interviewer maintained a neutral stance in conducting the interview, he showed a position of affiliation toward the doctor who recommended therapies not in line with the Italian medical guidelines. This was evident through the space provided to him to explain his expertise, as well as through the repetition and emphasis of the evaluative elements expressed. The rhetorical analysis, focusing on the participants' ethos, reveals that the interviewer deliberately intervened in the construction of the epistemic authority of the representatives of the two positions. The rhetorical analysis, focusing on the ethos of the three participants in the interaction, shed light on selected strategies and argumentative chains used to gain credibility and to prevail in the discussion. The linguistic-rhetorical mechanisms used do not pertain to the field of dialectical discussion and aim at a direct attack on the opponent's thesis. Nevertheless, the clash remained balanced without any epistemic authority overpowering the other: both the rhetorical and conversation analyses demonstrate a polarized dialogue, wherein the two sides are portrayed as representatives of two distinct and incompatible perspectives.

The Audacity of Judging Mind in Medieval England

In medieval English texts, a common refrain, drawn from scripture, urged that only God could search the mind and heart of a sinner, and that those who judge others might face their own grave judgment on the last day. This sits uneasily with the task of issuing a felony verdict, a burden placed squarely upon the shoulders of lay jurors after the Fourth Lateran Council's effective abolition of trial by ordeal in 1215. Nevertheless, jurors did sit in judgment upon their neighbors, and evidence suggests that they were not merely assessing outward conduct but also the state of a defendant's heart and mind which, like the hand of a proband in the era of trial by ordeal, might be declared fair or foul. This essay explores how techniques for unearthing intentionality through circumstantial inquiry—techniques developed in the context of classical rhetoric and adapted for priests hearing confessions—were put to use by coroners and others tasked with investigating crimes. This, in turn, aided jurors in the perilous, even audacious, task of judging alleged felons, ultimately determining who should be acquitted and who should face the gallows.

Политическая медиариторика: системный подход к исследованию речевых практик политического медиадискурса

The article outlines a new integrated approach to the study of political media communications, represented as a separate discipline — political media rhetoric. The academic demand for media rhetoric as a new branch of media linguistic and rhetoric studies is determined by the growing interest to the rhetoric aspect of political media discourse and hence the necessity of introducing a complex systemic approach to its analysis. The theory of political media rhetoric is constructed on the basis of key assumptions of classical rhetoric, media linguistics, media stylistics and other disciplines related to the study of media discourse in the aspect of political communications.
 The article defines historical roots of the formation of media rhetoric,
 its academic goals, methodology, and its place within general structure of humanities. The subject of political media rhetoric is the actualization of different speech rhetorical practices in the sphere of political media discourse.
 The basic category of political media rhetoric is represented by a polycode multimodal rhetoric mediatext, functioning within the system of political media communications. The research potential of political media rhetoric has been analyzed on the material of public speeches of the French modern politicians. The conducted research shows that the terminology and methodology of political media rhetoric can be effectively applied as a complex systemic approach to the study of rhetoric media practices in the sphere of political media communications.

ΕΧΩ ΤΗΝ ΚΑΥΧΗΣΙΝ

Paul’s boasting in Romans 15:17 raises the question of how the act of boasting needs to be perceived within the Christian world. Generally, boasting is considered a negative conduct and thus one should refrain from doing such action. However, this paper argues that Paul’s boasting in that verse has a positive significant rhetorical function that is correlated to gathering the support for his plan of mission to the worlds beyond Rome. In support of this argument, it is instructive to identify the different attitudes towards boasting both exhibited in the first-century Greco-Roman world and the Jewish tradition during that era. Moreover, classical rhetoric is also an important key to open the door to a clearer understanding of why in Romans 15:17 Paul boldly states that he has the pride or the reason to boast in Christ Jesus.

The Rhetorical Arts in Late Antique and Early Medieval Ireland, by Brian James Stone

The Rhetorical Arts in Late Antique and Early Medieval Ireland, by Brian James Stone

Slavery and Oratory: Frederick Douglass in the History of Rhetoric

The antislavery and antiracist oratory of Frederick Douglass is a powerful case study of the appropriation and transformation of “the master’s tools.” Douglass’s formative exposure to the classical rhetorical tradition is well known—but just as important are the ways in which he subverted it. He did so by developing a categorically new, hybrid role: the orator-slave. Slavery played an important part in the conceptual apparatus of the Ciceronian rhetoric that Douglass absorbed: it conceived of oratory as a willing, temporary submission to the harms that were commonly associated with slavery. An explanation of the force of Douglass’s oratory should begin with his translation of the orator-slave identification from the metaphorical to the literal plane. Drawing on Douglass’s self-education in rhetorical discipline and artifice, an account of the symbolic uses of slavery in classical rhetoric, and Douglass’s own oratory, I reconstruct his claim to embody classical rhetoric in a uniquely vivid way.

A Note on Catholic Psychotherapy

This article presents a rationale for an existential Catholic psychotherapy based in the thought of St. Thomas and the tradition of existential Thomism. The question of what Catholic means in this context is answered by a description of virtues identified as a Catholic way of being-in-the-world. Three integral characteristics of existential therapy—authenticity, availability, and the argument—are given a Thomistic definition. Catholic existential therapy is situated and shown to correspond to the three appeals of classical rhetoric.