A New History of Classical Rhetoric

by George A. Kennedy

George Kennedy's three volumes on classical rhetoric have long been regarded as authoritative treatments of the subject. This new volume, an extensive revision and abridgment of The Art of Persuasion in Greece, The Art of Rhetoric in the Roman World, and Greek Rhetoric under Christian Emperors, provides a comprehensive history of classical rhetoric, one that is sure to become a standard for its time.

Kennedy begins by identifying the rhetorical features of early Greek literature that anticipated the formulation of "metarhetoric," or a theory of rhetoric, in the fifth and fourth centuries b.c.e. and then traces the development of that theory through the Greco-Roman period. He gives an account of the teaching of literary and oral composition in schools, and of Greek and Latin oratory as the primary rhetorical genre. He also discusses the overlapping disciplines of ancient philosophy and religion and their interaction with rhetoric. The result is a broad and engaging history of classical rhetoric that will prove especially useful for students and for others who want an overview of classical rhetoric in condensed form.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Ancient History, Roman

315 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason, this is the book everyone loves to hate: either Kennedy is neglecting the contributions of medieval rhetoric (Woods), or ancient non-Greek rhetorics (Diab), or something else that someone finds important. Granted the tenor of this book is Christian, Classicalist and generally traditionalist, but that doesn’t mean that Kennedy somehow failed us.
What is most useful to me of this is Kennedy’s emphasis on the connection between education and rhetorical scholarship. I wonder if this is something intrinsic to the study of rhetoric as a living practice or if this connection is only emblematic of the period’s lack of specialization. I’ve always been a strong supporter of teaching supporting scholarship and vice versa, but that’s a hard argument to make in many administrations. As for a response to this book itself, it was extremely well-researched for its scope, but I do see how some people might find it incomplete, or aspiring to comprehensive history when it isn’t able to do so.

[I-kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

learned, helpful, informative, while being extremely boring as well

[Robert Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Book is exactly what the title says and it delivers. It is extremely well written and organized and, to my knowledge, accurate. The only hinderance to reading quickly is how dense it is with information. If the reader already has a basic knowledge of Greek and Roman history and has heard of the figures discussed, then that makes reading this all the more easier.

There were obviously some sections that I would like more information, but I can't expect a full treatment of every figure in an introductory book like this.

[Hans Ostrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A splendid overview of classical rhetoric.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kennedy’s text covers the history of rhetoric from its emergence as peitho (persuasion) in pre-Socratic Greek literature through the early Middle Ages. Glossing rhetoric as “a specific cultural subset … of the power of words and their potential to affect a situation in which they are used or received” (3), Kennedy moves through peitho and logos to Socrates’ use of rhetorike in the Gorgias and Phaedrus. His earlier chapters also consider Gorgias himself, “whose … refusal of closure, highly annoying to conservative Greeks of the time, was characteristic of the sophists” (20), Isocrates, and Aristotle. He also considers the various ways Greek rhetoricians systematized rhetoric: forensic/deliberative/epideictic, the five canons, the parts of a speech. His treatment of Rome includes discussions of Hermogenes’ stasis theory, a chapter on Cicero, and shorter sections on Dionysius of Halicarnassus and Quintilian. As the Roman Empire develops, Kennedy argues both (1) that rhetorical training became more formalized and widespread, and (2) that epideictic rhetoric became more prominent that forensic and deliberative due to the autocratic nature of Roman politics. Though advisers to the senate and, later, the emperors had occasions to deliberate, Kennedy positions epideictic--particularly as manifested in public declamations built on the foundation of the progymnasmata--became a social pastime and rhetorical outlet for a populace will minimal opportunities to speak in courtrooms or political assemblies. A chapter on the second sophistic, characterized by conservative rhetors with a tendency toward nostalgic Hellenism, leads into Kennedy’s closing discussions of the rise of Christianity, its associations with and dissociations from classical rhetoric, and rhetoric’s gradual transformation from a mode of public address to a mode of scriptural interpretation and evangelical embellishment.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In just under 300 pages, this book covers the progression of a millennium's worth of great rhetoricians. It's a solid survey of rhetoric, from the inchoate attempts to systematize "the science of speaking" in 5th century Syracuse and Athens, to the "conversion" of rhetoric for use by early and medieval Christian apologists and homileticians, and (almost) everything in between. After thoroughly enjoying Kennedy's translation and commentary on Aristotle's On Rhetoric, I was looking forward to reading this book, and I wasn't disappointed.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview. Not ideal for someone wanting depth, but Kennedy's earlier works provide that, and this book has ample references to other detailed sources as well.

[Megan]

About as exciting as it looks. I'm taking a contemporary rhetorical theory class this fall though, so thought I'd try to brush up on the ancient Greeks. So far, a good overview.

[Sybil_Attak]

«Οι αγορεύσεις δεν δίδασκαν όχι μόνο νομικά, αλλά ούτε ιστορία.» (σελ. 334). Οποιαδήποτε ομοιότητα με νεοελληνικό γραπτό λόγο είναι άκρως παραπλανητική!