Generously supported by University College, Oxford, the Open University, the Jowett Copyright Trust, and the Faculty of Classics.
Aristotle’s Rhetoric is generally held to be the defining handbook of Greek rhetorical theory, at least during the Classical period. Taken in tandem with texts such as those of Gorgias and Anaximenes, a set or sets of organising principles for understanding Greek oratory can arguably be compiled, and these are often used by modern scholars when studying ancient speeches. And yet some of the most prominent practical examples of rhetoric, the corpus of the Attic orators, often diverge from the tenets of the theorists in notable ways, including by blending recognised genres, disrupting structural expectations, or seeking to provoke unusual responses from listeners. Even between the theorists, there are disagreements as to the features of correct and effective speechwriting. In this conference, we hope to explore the congruence, or lack of it, between Greek rhetorical theory and oratorical practice.
Programme:
Tuesday, 12 September 2023, 10 Merton Street Lecture Room, University College.
9-9.30 Arrival and refreshments / Opening remarks
9.30-11: Session 1
Lene Rubinstein (Royal Holloway, University of London): Disrupting structural expectations: rhetorical theory versus oratorical practice
Linda Rocchi (University of Copenhagen): ‘See you in court’: personal enmity and public spiritedness in rhetorical arguments
11-11.30: Tea/coffee
11.30-1: Session 2
Eleni Volonaki (University of the Peloponnese): Proems of forensic speeches: theory and practice
Rosalia Hatzilambrou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens): ‘… ὅπως ἐπίλογος ἀλλὰ μὴ λόγος ᾖ’: the epilogue in fourth-century rhetoric and forensic oratory
1-2: Lunch (Butler Room)
2-3.30: Session 3
Bill Allan (University College, Oxford): Aristotelian emotions and the Attic orators
Matteo Barbato (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin): Emotions, delivery and the law in Attic Oratory
3.30-4: Tea/coffee
4-5.30: Session 4
Chris Kremmydas (Royal Holloway, University of London): Ethos in Attic oratory: between theory and practice
Kerry Phelan (Maynooth University): A modest proposal: subtle character construction in Demosthenes’ forensic speeches
6.30 pm Pre-dinner drinks (Fellows’ Garden)
7.15pm Conference Dinner (Alington Room)
Wednesday, 13 September 2023, 10 Merton Street Lecture Room, University College.
9-9.30 Arrival and refreshments
9.30-11: Session 5
Christine Plastow (Open University): Deliberative trials: judging the future in Athenian forensic rhetoric
Katherine Backler (Trinity College, Oxford): Lysias 8: a speech without a genre
11-11.30: Tea/coffee
11.30-1: Session 6
Guy Westwood (Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford): Oratorical image-making in theory and practice
Giulia Maltagliati (Clare Hall, Cambridge): Rhetoric of clarity - clarity of rhetoric: oratory, vagueness, and ambiguity
1-2: Lunch (Butler Room)
2-3.30: Session 7
Chris Carey (University College London): Political oratory in and out of democracy: convergence, divergence and implications
Jud Herrman (Allegheny College): Menander Rhetor and Athenian funeral orations
3.30-4: Tea/coffee
4-5.30: Session 8
Martina Astrid Rodda (Merton College, Oxford): Lucian's characters as orators: rhetoric, reception, and embodiment
Alessandro Vatri (Durham University): Demosthenes' prose rhythm from Hermogenes to McCabe (and beyond)
5.30-6: Closing Remarks
A special rate of £5 for registration (including refreshments and lunches) and £5 for dinner is available to all students (regardless of University) and to other members of the University of Oxford and the Open University.
Otherwise, registration costs £10 and includes refreshments and lunch on both days. There is a separate charge of £20 for the conference dinner.
To register, please go to:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-incongruence-of-theory-and-practice-in-greek-oratory-tickets-630677783227
For further information, please contact the conference organizers:
Professor Bill Allan (william.allan@univ.ox.ac.uk)
Dr Christine Plastow (christine.plastow@open.ac.uk)
