Abstract
In the Institutio Oratoria of Quintilian we find a presentation of a theory of the virtues of eloquence: purity of language (latinitas), clarity (perspicuitas), appropriateness (aptum) and ornament (ornatus). All of them were originated by earlier Greek philosophers Aristotle and Theophrastus. Later this theory was taken on and elaborated by Roman rhetoricians – Cicero and Quintilian. Aristotle in his Rhetoric explicitly identified three of the four virtues (clarity, appropriateness and correctness). Theophrastus created a theory of four virtues of eloquence (correctness, clarity, appropriateness and ornament). His system was adopted by most of others. Dionysius, however, developed the most complex system of virtues. He presented a theory of virtues, which were divided into necessary (purity of language, appropriateness, lucidity and brevity) and accessory ones. The accessory virtues were further subdivided into another three groups. Rhetorica ad Herennium offered a three fold system: elegantia (including both correctness and clarity), compositio (similar to appropriateness) and diginitas (similar to ornament). Basically, in almost all aspects being closer to Cicero (who continues the tradition of Theophrastus), Quintilian is more focused on his theory of eloquence. He discusses the virtues of eloquence very widely and deeply, step by step, drawing a number of examples and including the educational process of an orator. Above all, although the theory of four virtues of Quintilian has been influenced by Ciceron, to some extent in general it does not claim originality and plays a paramount role in modern rhetorics, stylistic and pedagogy.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
-
Mintautas Čiurinskas,
Confessional interaction and seeking to find confessional identity in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the end of the 16th to the first part of the 17th century: accents in the Vita Josephi Velamini Rutski (1640) by Raphael Korsak
,
Literatūra: Vol. 48 No. 7 (2006): Special Issue
-
Vaidas Šeferis,
Iš naujo atrandamas Vilnius [Mindaugas Kvietkauskas, Vilniaus literatūrų kontrapunktai. Ankstyvasis modernizmas 1904–1915]
,
Literatūra: Vol. 49 No. 1 (2007): Lithuanian Literature
-
Viktorija Daujotytė-Pakerienė,
Between Philosophy and Self-Reflection
,
Literatūra: Vol. 62 No. 1 (2020): Literature
-
Eugenija Ulčinaitė,
Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės paveldo metamorfozės XIX amžiaus Lietuvos literatūroje
,
Literatūra: Vol. 48 No. 1 (2006): Lithuanian Literature
-
Linara Bartkuvienė,
The formal properties of Virginia Woolf’s novel “The Waves”: polylogue participants
,
Literatūra: Vol. 48 No. 4 (2006): World Literatures
-
Gintaras Beresnevičius,
Lithuanian and Polish historiography on Lithuanian mythology of the first half of the 19th century
,
Literatūra: Vol. 48 No. 5 (2006): Special Issue
-
Audronė Kučinskienė,
Nec ut interpres, sed ut orator: Ciceronas – vertėjas
,
Literatūra: Vol. 53 No. 3 (2011): the Classics
-
Violeta Katinienė,
Die Sprechenden Mauern in den Romanen Das Provisorium von Wolfgang Hilbig und Die Murmelnde Mauer von Sigitas Parulskis
,
Literatūra: Vol. 56 No. 4 (2014): World Literatures
-
Павел Лавринец,
Дегуцкий летописец
,
Literatūra: Vol. 47 No. 2 (2005): Russian Literature
-
Birutė Meržvinskaitė,
Zur Logik des Preisens in der Dichtung Simon Dachs
,
Literatūra: Vol. 50 No. 4 (2008): World Literatures