[英语学习]Rhetoric and Stylistics 2.pptVIP

Lecture 1  Introduction to Rhetoric and Stylistics (II) 2. Brief history of Rhetoric Rhetoric’s foremost exponents and analysts were Gorgias, Isocrates, Plato (all 5-4c BC), and Aristotle. Of their rhetorical works, only Plato’s Phaedrus and Aristotle’s Rhetoric have survived. As writing became commoner, elements of the oral craft were transferred to prose composition. Rhetoric came to be viewed in two ways: as the high moral and philosophical art of speech and writing, and as a low art of winning arguments and impressing the gullible. 2) Roman rhetoric. Republican Rome shared the Greek interest in debate and legal argument, and therefore considered rhetoric essential to public life. Cicero(2-1c BC): De inventione (On Making your Case) and the De oratore (On Being a Public Speaker). Quintilian (2c AD): Foundations of Oratory. ----Five canons. Five canons or offices of rhetoric, concerned with gathering, arranging, and presenting one’s material. (1) inventio [Latin]. Finding or researching one’s material. The speaker or writer assesses an issue, assembles the necessary material, and begins to work on the appropriate arguments. (2) dispositio. Arranging or organizing one’s material. The orator puts the parts of the discourse in order, starting with the exordium or formal opening, then proceeding with the narration, and closing with the conclusion. Something like Chinese four steps of composing an essay —introduction, elucidation (explanation, expounding), transition, and conclusion. (3) elocutio. The fitting of language to audience and context, through any of three styles: the high-and-grand, the medium, and the low-and-plain. Included in this “style” section are the traditional rhetorical devices and figures of speech. (4) pronunciatio/actio. Performance or delivery, including the arsenal of techniques to be used in proclaiming, narrating, or in effect acting. (5) memoria. Training of the mind, to ensure accurate recall