Homeric Speech and the Origins of Rhetoric

243 Pages·2014·4.31 MB·English

by  Rachel Ahern Knudsen

Homeric Speech and
the Origins of Rhetoric
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Homeric Speech and
the Origins of Rhetoric
rachel ahern knudsen
Johns Hopkins University Press
Baltimore
© 2014 Johns Hopkins University Press
All rights reserved. Published 2014
Printed in the United States of America on acid- free paper
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Knudsen, Rachel Ahern.
Homeric speech and the origins of rhetoric / Rachel Ahern Knudsen.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN- 13: 978- 1- 4214- 1226- 9 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN- 13: 978- 1- 4214- 1227- 6 (electronic)
ISBN- 10: 1- 4214- 1226- 8 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN- 10: 1- 4214- 1227- 6 (electronic)
1. Homer. Iliad. 2. Rhetoric, Ancient. 3. Aristotle — Criticism and
interpretation. I. Title.
PA4037.K575 2014
883'.01 — dc23
2013020204
A cata log record for this book is available from the British Library.
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book materials, including recycled text paper that is composed of at
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For Margaret Ahern
My fi rst and best teacher
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Contents
Ac know ledg ments ix
Introduction 1
part i rhetoric in homer
1 Reconsidering the Origins of Rhetoric 17
2 Investigating Homeric Rhetoric 38
3 Patterns of Aristotelian Rhetoric in the Iliad 77
part ii the genealogy of rhetoric from
homer to aristotle
4 Explaining the Correspondence between Homeric Speech and
Aristotelian Theory 91
5 Rhetoric in Archaic Poetry 104
6 From Poetry to Theory 135
Appendix. Analysis of Remaining Iliadic Rhetorical Speeches 157
Notes 193
Bibliography 213
Index 225
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Ac know ledg ments
This book would not have come into being without the infl uence and assistance
of numerous individuals. First among them are the teachers whose guidance set
me on the path to this endeavor: Margaret Ahern, who provided a home/school
bursting at the seams with books; Fritz Hinrichs, who introduced me to the Great
Books, including Homer; and Bruce McMenomy, who taught me the delights of
grammar, rhetoric, and literary criticism. Special thanks must go to Richard
Martin: no one could ask for a better teacher or dissertation advisor. His advice
from the very earliest stages of this project to the very last has been invaluable.
I am also grateful to Andrea Nightingale and Anastasia- Erasmia Peponi, whose
comments on early versions of this manuscript refi ned its focus and improved
its argument.
Several friends and colleagues have contributed advice at various stages along
the way to publication. At Stanford, Eirene Visvardi, Lela Urquhart, Jason Aftos-
mis, and Vincent Tomasso engaged with these ideas when they were still in
gestational form, asking astute questions that I had not thought to ask. My col-
leagues at the University of Oklahoma have supported me admirably through
the latter stages of the publication proc ess. In par tic u lar, I have benefi tted from
the comments and suggestions of Ellen Greene, who read parts of the manu-
script; I would also like to thank Sam Huskey and Kyle Harper for providing ad-
vice, encouragement, and fruitful discussion of the ideas contained in this book.
I am grateful to the University of Oklahoma for the generous award of Ju nior
Faculty Summer Research Fellowships in 2010 and 2011, which allowed me to
complete much of the writing and revision.
The critiques provided by an anonymous reader at Johns Hopkins University
Press were thoughtful and incisive, and have very much improved the fi nished
product. I must also thank Matthew McAdam, the Classics and Humanities
editor at JHU Press, for expertly shepherding this work to its completion. Any
remaining faults are entirely my own.