Rhetoric
by Aristotle · Ῥητορική
Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 335 BCE
- Form
- Treatise
- Language
- Greek
- Length
- Medium · 250 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendOn Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse, translated by George A. KennedyOxford University Press, 2007The standard scholarly translation, with notes that explain the Greek terms and the courtroom and assembly settings.
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Aristotle's treatment of persuasion as an art with its own method. Book I defines rhetoric as the ability to see the available means of persuasion, distinguishes deliberative, forensic and epideictic speech, and lays out the topics each draws on. Book II analyses the emotions and the characters of audiences a speaker must understand, and the enthymeme and example as rhetorical forms of argument. Book III treats style and arrangement.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Rhetoric are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
