On Rhetoric A Theory of Civil Discourse

by Aristotle; Kennedy, George A.

• ISBN13: 9780195064865
• ISBN10: 0195064860
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1991-09-26
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Theories of rhetoric initially emerged in Greece in the fifth century B.C. with the realization that in a democracy all citizens had a right and duty to participate in their own government. Aristotle's Rhetoric was the first, systematic study of civic discourse. But this classic text has not benefited from a new translation in sixty years. Now, George A. Kennedy, a leading scholar of classics and communications, has provided an up-to-date, lucid translation which will make the Rhetoric as well known--and as accessible--as Aristotle's Poetics . Kennedy's version of On Rhetoric takes into account all of the latest scholarship on Aristotle, using the most reliable texts available, and preserving Aristotle's distinctive style. He eliminates euphemistic and sexist language (which Aristotle did not use), and maintains contradictions which exist in the hand-written, medieval manuscripts (which provide our only access to Aristotle's work). Kennedy's translation also provides the most substantial commentary, and the most extensive notes, of any English version. In his introduction, we learn of the status of rhetoric before Aristotle's treatise (including the work of Socrates, Plato, and Gorgias), receive an account of his life (he tutored the young Macedonian who later became Alexander the Great), and, of course, find a detailed, chapter by chapter account of the text. Kennedy also includes a glossary of Greek rhetorical vocabulary, supplementary texts (by Gorgias, Cicero, and Aristotle himself), and essays on the Rhetoric 's composition and on the history of the text after Aristotle. Aristotle's pioneering study of rhetoric remains useful today, whether for composition studies, public speaking, or literary criticism. The proper use of rhetoric is an essential component of the democratic process, and this readable translation will make the art of persuasion available to new generations of citizens and scholars.

Author Biography

About the Translator:
George A. Kennedy is Paddison Professor of Classics and Chair of the Curriculum of Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has written numerous books and articles on rhetoric and classics.

Table of Contents

Introduction	3	(3)
Aristotle's Life and Works	3	(4)
Rhetoric Before Aristotle	7	(5)
Aristotle's View of Rhetoric	12	(1)
A Chapter-by-Chapter Outline of the Rhetoric	13	(10)
Aristotle, On Rhetoric: Translation and Notes	23	(290)
Book 1	25	(94)
Book 2	119	(97)
Book 3	216	(67)
Appendix I: Supplementary Texts
A. Gorgias' Encomium of Helen	283	(5)
B. Art as an Intellectual Virtue, from Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 6. 4	288	(1)
C. An Introduction to Dialectic, from Aristotle, Topics 1.1--3	289	(4)
D. Cicero's Description of Aristotle's Synagoge Tekhnon	293	(1)
E. Word Choice and Metaphor, from Aristotle, Poetics, Chapter 21	294	(3)
F. The Concept of the Enthymeme as Understood in the Modern Period	297	(2)
Appendix II: Supplementary Essays
A. The Composition of the Rhetoric	299	(6)
B. The History of the Text After Aristotle	305	(4)
C. The Strengths and Limitations of the Rhetoric	309	(4)
Glossary	313	(8)
Bibliography	321	(8)
Index	329