Progymnasmata: Greek Textbooks of Prose Composition and Rhetoric (Writings from the Greco-roman World)

Writings from the Greco-Roman World #10

by George A. Kennedy (Translator)

For students of classical, medieval, and early modern literature and of the history of education, Kennedy (classics emeritus, U. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill) presents and comments on four Greek treatises for teaching prose composition and elementary rhetoric. They were written during the time of the Roman Empire and studied throughout the Byzantine period; Latin translations of some were used across Europe during the Middle Ages; and one was translated into English in 1563. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Genres: Education, Reference

231 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2003

Reviews

[Josiah DeGraaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the point when you get really excited about finding a compilation of ancient Greek progymnasmata textbooks, you've probably crossed the point of no-return as a classical education nerd. So what can I say? Guilty as charged.

The translations of these pieces were really good and I appreciated the commentary provided on these ancient textbooks. Quick reviews of each of the five ancient textbooks included in this compilation, as judged by their relevance to teaching the progym.

The Exercises of Aelius of Theon
Aelius gave a basic overview of the progym, but tended to be a bit long-winded without as much valuable information to sift through. It was a decent introduction, but not my favorite. It was, though, the only section with advice specifically directed at educators for how to teach the progym, and some of those insights were valuable.

The Preliminary Exercises Attributed to Hermogenes
Hermogenes is like Aelius but shorter and with some better insights. I appreciated his take more, and will be taking several of his insights to mind when teaching through the progymnasmata.

The Preliminary Exercises of Aphthonius the Sophist
Aphthonius is where the book became really good and valuable, as Aphthonius not only includes great advice on writing the progym, but also includes examples for each of them on what well-written exercise looks like. I used these examples when teaching the enconium to my students earlier this year when I first found the book (before I had read through the whole thing) and found it quite valuable. The commenters on this book mentioned that his use of the progym was more unorthodox, but I didn't see much of that myself. Perhaps that's a judgment of me.

The Preliminary Exercises of Nicolaus the Sophist
Nicolaus is just as good as Aphthonius--but for completely different reasons. While Apthonius' greatest strength is how practical he is, Nicolaus' greatest strength is how well he ties the progym into the three branches of rhetoric and unpacks the theory behind why we teach the progym and why we follow this particular sequence. He may have been my favorite author to read. His section and Aphthonius' section alone make it worth the book, and he helped solidify my understanding of how to explain the value of the progym and how it works.

Selections from the Commentary of John of Sardis
I found this pretty boring and repetitive after reading through the other sections, so I more-or-less skimmed this section.

Final Summary
For classical educators looking to use the progymnasmata more effectively (and not content with the brief--and sometimes faulty--summaries provided by modern classical ed textbooks), I'd highly recommend this resource in building one's understanding of the progym. I don't know that John of Sardis is worth reading and I have mixed feelings on Aelius of Theon given how repetitive they are with the other authors (with not much else to add). But Hermogenes, and especially Aphthonius and Nicolaus make the price of the book well-worth it.

Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want the gist and utility of it, read only the Aphthonius section. He is the only one that provides examples of the various progymnasmata. Also read John's Thesis section. It's too bad the school system didn't teach these composition methods since what I learnt in my day is a shadow of what is laid down in these progymnasmata

[Bill Stutzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally pulled this intimidating book off the shelf and did the deep dive. For teachers of rhetoric, composition, and those generally engaged in the classical Christian curriculum, Kennedy's work offers immense value. A careful reading and application ought to challenge us to rethink a great deal of what we currently practice. I've seen several really good adaptations of these preliminary exercises, but going to the original sources is a must for those serious about grappling with the greater tradition and challenges of modern applications. This will join my set of oft-referenced texts. Parts of this book are certainly a slog, but the nuggets to be panned from the silt pay for the claim.

[Tania Bingham]

It’s difficult to rate this book. It is a compilation of very old writers explaining how to teach the Progym. I read this as part of the Schole Sisters Teach Writing Classically course. It gave me everything I needed to know to teach the Progymnasmata and I am teaching it successfully for the first time this year to my high school kids. Highly recommend this method. This book is an excellent and historic resource.

[Brent Pinkall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've taught progymnasmata using this text for many years. While Kennedy provides a few notes, it is not very intuitive on its own. Even so, it deserves five stars for its contribution to the recovery of the classical rhetorical tradition. It contains all of the extant progymnasmata texts from antiquity in one place. Super helpful.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this translated collection, Kennedy glosses “progymnasmata” as “preliminary exercises”--exercises classical students of rhetoric completed prior to declamation (x). Aelius Theon’s text is particularly “addressed to teachers, not to students” and “[a]lone among the Greek authors of progymnasmata … describes classroom methods consisting of oral reading, listening, memorizing, paraphrasing, elaborating, and contradicting what has been read” (2-3). As presented by Kennedy, Theon’s sequence of exercises proceeds as follows: chreia, fable, narrative, topos (a sort of moral judgment), ecphrasis (description), prosopopeia, encomion and invective, syncrisis (comparison), thesis, and law. Theon presents each subsequent exercise as building on skills developed in earlier exercises (4). Students must be made to attend to this sequential nature, however, and the exercises are only useful if “each student exercises himself every day in writing” (6). Given the relatively narrow and well-defined purposes and situations Theon sees for orators and oratory, he sees thorough inculcation in the progymnasmata as a method of rhetorical education that will prepare students to adapt and speak or compose well in any given situation--provided, of course, that they are taught well, with “copious, numerous and varied resources [i.e. classical models]” (68), frequent reading aloud and writing, and attention to the other approaches quoted from pages two and three above.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

The progymnasmata are "preliminary exercises" that were given to students who had completed their training in Grammar and Logic (though sometimes Logic followed after the progymnasmata) as part of the classical Trivium (Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic). The exercises are set up to be successive stages that progress the student from the easiest compositions to the most difficult; preparing the student to become proficient in elements useful for legal, legislative, and ceremonial discourse.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a useful collection and translation of primary sources on the progymnasmata exercises. Although they are not all enthralling in themselves, the work is an excellent references, both for the sake of having the sources and for the sake of being able to compare sources. Although reading all five sources straight through was somewhat repetitive, it did provide a fuller understanding of what the exercises entail and why they are useful to the larger goals of rhetoric.