ENC-3021 Lecture Notes - Christine De Pizan, Rhetoric, Sophist
Document Summary
Use of rhetoric starts to decay: rise of empire room for some forensic and epidictic but no deliberative, rise of christianity rhetoric is a pagan tool, one for the ambitious (rhetoric negatively associated with sophists) Wedding of christian values and platonic ideas rhetoric slowly becomes a tool for preaching: church ensured classical texts remained rare. 354-430 ad/ce father = pagan; mother = christian studies rhetoric in carthage; teaches rhetoric; becomes municipal chair of rhetoric in. Milan and meets ambrose; converts at 32 in garden; becomes a monk and opens monastery in hippo; becomes a bishop. Cicero"s hortensus opened him up to christianity more than any other writing. Borrowed the necessity of practice and imitation, was stressed in order to become an accomplished speaker. Adopts 3 types of style to adapt to the audience: grand, middle, plain stresses importance of ethos/virtue.
