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Greek Oratory: Tradition and Originality

Online ISBN:
9781383005974
Print ISBN:
9780198150749
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Greek Oratory: Tradition and Originality

Published online:
31 October 2023
Published in print:
1 July 1999
Online ISBN:
9781383005974
Print ISBN:
9780198150749
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

Speakers address audiences in the earliest Greek literature, but oratory became a distinct genre in the late fifth century and reached its maturity in the fourth. This book traces the development of its techniques by examining the contribution made by each orator. Dr Usher makes the speeches come alive for the reader through an in-depth analysis of the problems of composition and the likely responses of contemporary audiences. His study differs from previous books in its recognition of the richness of the early tradition which made innovation difficult, however, the orators are revealed as men of remarkable talent, versatility, and resource. Antiphon's pioneering role, Lysias' achievement of balance between the parts of the speech, the establishment of oratory as a medium of political thought by Demosthenes and Isocrates, and the individual characteristics of other orators - Andocides, Isaeus, Lycurgus, Hyperides, Dinarchus and Apollodorus - together make a fascinating study in evolution; while the illustrative texts of the orators (which are translated into English) include some of the liveliest and most moving passages in Greek literature.

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