What is it about?
This paper addresses a passage from the text 'Praecepta gerendae reipublicae' (Political Precepts) by the Greek philosopher Plutarch, in which the author defines rhetoric and explains whether rhetoric is important for creating persuasion in the field of politics. My intention here is to explore the extent to which taking a closer look both at the literary/rhetorical aspect of this passage and in the way and the conditions under which references to earlier texts occur in it could yield a deeper understanding of the attitude expressed by Plutarch towards a subject as loaded as rhetoric during that period.
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Why is it important?
My findings show that Plutarch's attitude towards rhetoric as expressed in the above-mentioned text might have been more positive than what earlier studies portrayed.
Perspectives
I hope this article contributes to the dialogue about Plutarch's position within the history of the traditional conflict between philosophers and rhetoricians in the ancient world.
Theofanis Tsiampokalos
Universitat Trier
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This page is a summary of: Defining Rhetoric While Playing with Pre-texts: Some Aspects of Intertextuality in Plutarch’s Praecepta gerendae reipublicae 801C–D, May 2020, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004427860_034.
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