Demosthenes' "On the Crown": Rhetorical Perspectives

by James J. Murphy (Editor), Lois Peters Agnew (Contribution by), David Mirhady (Contribution by), Richard A Katula (Contribution by), Jeffrey Walker (Contribution by)

Overview

Demosthenes’ speech On the Crown (330 B.C.E.), in which the master orator spectacularly defended his public career, has long been recognized as a masterpiece. The speech has been in continuous circulation from Demosthenes’ lifetime to the present day, and multiple generations have acclaimed it as the greatest speech ever written. In addition to a clear and accessible translation, Demosthenes’“On the Crown”:Rhetorical Perspectives includes eight essays that provide a thorough analysis—based on Aristotelian principles—of Demosthenes’ superb rhetoric.

The volume includes biographical and historical background on Demosthenes and his political situation; a structural analysis of On the Crown; and an abstract of Aeschines’ speech Against Ctesiphon to which Demosthenes was responding. Four essays by contributors analyze Demosthenes’ speech using key elements of rhetoric defined by Aristotle: ēthos, the speaker’s character or authority; pathos, or emotional appeals; logos, or logical appeals; and lexis, a speaker’s style. An introduction and an epilogue by Murphy frame the speech and the rhetorical analysis of it.

By bringing together contextual material about Demosthenes and his speech with a translation and astute rhetorical analyses, Demosthenes’“On the Crown”:Rhetorical Perspectives highlights the oratorical artistry of Demosthenes and provides scholars and students with fresh insights into a landmark speech.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780809335114
Publisher:	Southern Illinois University Press
Publication date:	10/04/2016
Series:	Landmarks in Rhetoric and Public Address
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

James J. Murphy, a professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis, is the author, coauthor, or editor of more than twenty-four books on rhetoric, including A Short History of Writing Instruction and A Synoptic History of Classical Rhetoric.

Contributors include Lois P. Agnew, Francis P. Donnelly SJ, Richard Leo Enos, Richard A. Katula, John J. Keaney, David C. Mirhady, Donovan J. Ochs, and Jeffrey Walker.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction                               
James J. Murphy

Part One: Demosthenes and His Greatest Speech

1. Demosthenes and His Times    
Lois P. Agnew
2. Aeschines’ Speech Against Ctesiphon (an abstract) 
Donovan J. Ochs
3. Demosthenes’ Oration On the Crown (a translation)  
John J. Keaney

Part Two: Rhetorical Evaluations

4. A Structural Analysis of On the Crown     
Francis P. Donnelly S.J.
5. Ethos in On the Crown    
David C. Mirhady
6. Crafting Nostalgia: Pathos in On the Crown
Richard A. Katula
7. On the Deinos Logos of On the Crown
Jeffrey Walker
8. Demosthenes’ Style: Lexis in On the Crown
Richard Leo Enos

Epilogue  
James J. Murphy

A Select Bibliography
Contributors

Editorial Reviews

This remarkable collection reveals the main strengths of Demosthenes’ speech On the Crown, including argumentative strategies, moral and psychological proofs, structural organization, and stylistic choices. James J. Murphy has devised an indispensable tool for scholars. To general readers, this book will provide a gateway to one of the most important works to have ever appeared in the history of rhetoric.”—Laurent Pernot, University of Strasbourg, past president of the International Society for the History of Rhetoric
 
“This book presents material that is crucial to classical rhetoric in the West. There is both a retrieval of historical interpretations of the speech and an offering of new interpretations, fulfilling a great need for the translation and the commentaries in an accessible form.”—Kathleen Ethel Welch, author of The Contemporary Reception of Classical Rhetoric

"By bringing together contextual material about Demosthenes and his speech with a translation and astute rhetorical analyses, Demosthenes'"On the Crown":Rhetorical Perspectives highlights the oratorical artistry of Demosthenes and provides scholars and students with fresh insights into a landmark speech." —Midwest Book Review

"The organization of this slim volume makes clear that it is primarily geared toward non-specialists and especially students, and in this purpose it is successful. Although there are some insights in the four chapters of rhetorical analysis that will be of value to scholars of ancient rhetoric, most of the volume is written from a bird’s eye perspective, suitable for those encountering the speech for the first time."—Andrew T. Alwine, College of Charleston, BMCR Blog
 

From the Publisher