The Introductions of Demosthenes: A Rhetorical Analysis

Harley, Robert Patterson (1989) The Introductions of Demosthenes: A Rhetorical Analysis. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The aim of the thesis is to conduct a rhetorical analysis of the introductions of the speeches in the Demosthenic corpus and of the introductions in the collection of prooemia. The recommendations for introductions of the rhetoricians, Anaximenes and Aristotle, are itemized as numbered features so that they can be cited whenever they occur in Demosthenic introductions. The relevant research of modern authors on rhetorical style and introductions is considered. The first task of the thesis is to define the introductions of the speeches in the Demosthenic corpus and the parts of those passages in the collection of prooemia which constitute introductions. To facilitate this task lists were made of criteria which helped to indicate the point at which an introduction ends and the point at which the main part of a speech begins. To compile the lists an initial sample of orations 1-26 was considered. The rest of the speeches and the collection of prooemia were then subjected to the criterion test. Two of the speeches, orations 13 and 46, were found to have no introductions at all. While most of the prooemia are complete introductions some of them, pr. 1, pr. 2, pr. 24, pr. 27, pr. 29, pr. 30, pr. 31, pr. 35, pr. 37, pr. 40, pr. 41 and pr. 56, were found to combine an introduction with a few lines, or even a single sentence, that are equivalent to the beginning of the main part of a speech. Next, a preliminary survey was carried out to discover common themes that recur in introductions. The following themes were observed: 1. Justice and the record of one's life 2. Litigiousness 3. The speaker's disadvantage 4. Brevity 5. Divine support 6. The public interest A chapter of the thesis is devoted to analysis of individual introductions. Speakers' tactics are assessed with respect to three aims, the provision of preliminary statement, the securing of attention and the winning of goodwill. The arrangement of an introduction's contents is tabulated in terms of these three aims. The findings of the thesis are as follows: 1. Criteria exist which help to define the point at which an introduction ends. 2. Criteria exist which help to define the point at which the main part of a speech begins. 3. The collection of prooemia for the most part contains introductions which were composed to provide a supply of introductions to be available for use when occasion demanded. 4. The majority of the introductions of deliberative speeches are thematic. Some display a distinctness from their respective speeches that suggests that they were composed to be available for use and were then selected and attached to their respective speeches. Others are integral components of their speeches. The introductions of forensic speeches, with only three exceptions, are integral parts of their respective speeches. 5. There is evidence in the introductions of some of those speeches whose Demosthenic authorship is suspect which lends some support to the suspicions. 6. While the introductions of public forensic speeches contain some of the arguments that can be found in the introductions of deliberative speeches, they are more akin to the introductions of private forensic speeches so that it cannot be said that they are transitional to any great extent between the introductions of private forensic speeches and the introductions of deliberative speeches. 7. Although Demosthenes conforms to some of the recommendations of Anaximenes and Aristotle for introductions, there is not enough evidence to suggest that he has done this deliberately. As for the arrangement of an introduction's contents Demosthenes does not follow the patterns recommended by Anaximenes but employs more complex patterns. The designation of criteria, the division of certain prooemia into introduction and beginning of main part of speech, the observations on the relationship between introductions and their respective speeches, the discovery of evidence in introductions that confirms suspicions about Demosthenic authorship, and the comparison of Demosthenes' tactics in introductions with the recommendations of Anaximenes and Aristotle constitute contributions to knowledge.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Classical literature, Rhetoric
• Date of Award: 1989
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1989-77957
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 28 Feb 2020 12:09
• Last Modified: 28 Feb 2020 12:09
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/77957