OVERVIEW

This course will offer a survey of the history of Roman rhetoric, with emphasis on the evolution of its theoretical tradition from the late Republic to the early Imperial age.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course will survey the evolution of the art of persuasion at Rome, from the earliest exposition of the Roman culture to the teaching of the Greco-Hellenistic tradition, up to the evolution of Latin rhetoric in the Roman imperial age. Students will familiarize with the theoretical foundations of classical rhetoric by means of a close reading of some of the most important rhetorical treatises in Latin; orations of the Republican age and declamation of the Imperial age will be studied in detail, so as to highlight the most peculiar features of a literary genre bond to shape the literary European culture well beyond the end of the ancient world.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will focus on the peculiar features of Latin rhetorical texts, which will be studied in a diachronical perspective. By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Read and interpret rhetorical treatises of the Republican and Imperial age.

• Identify and assess the main features of the Roman rhetorical theory.

• Identify the most common pedagogical strategies exploited in the ancient world for the teaching of rhetoric.

• Assess the mutual influence between rhetorical technique and literary production.

• Identify the main transformation of Roman rhetoric in the Imperial age against the background of the Republican model.

PREREQUISITES

An advanced knowledge of Latina language and literature is required.

TEACHING METHODS

After a number of lessons of introduction to the history of Roman rhetoric and Declamation, students will be invited to participate in the translation and the interpretation of the relevant texts in class. Lessons will be held in presence only. Attendance, although not compulsory, is recommended.

All students are required to enroll on the Aulaweb page of the course, where the texts covered in both modules will be uploaded. Additional readings related to the topics covered by Professor Moretti's portion of the course will be provided for non-attending students.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course is divided into two modules: the first one, taught by Professor Gabriella Moretti, will focus on oratory; the second one, taught by Professor Biagio Santorelli, will examine Roman declamation in the imperial age.

Module I: Visual strategies for oratory: actio and other visual tools in Roman rhetoric and oratory (prof. Gabriella Moretti).

Oratory is not only made up of arguments found through the inventio, arranged so to speak in battle order through the dispositio, expressed through all the resources of the style in the elocutio, memorized with special mnemonic techniques (memory), and recited through a ductile and practiced use of the voice (pronuntiatio): very important and indeed essential for the speaker are all those strategies of body and face movements that go by the name of actio, the main one of those visual aspects of mise en scène that make the ancient oratorical performance a real theatrical show.

The actio was carefully regulated in rhetorical manuals, even if it usually turns out to have more prominence, compared to the aspects of actio which is linked to the vision, the category closely connected to, or included in it, of the pronuntiatio, which has to do with the proprium of the oratory i.e. the speaker's voice. A first section of this part of the course will therefore be dedicated to the doctrine of actio in Latin rhetoric, with particular regard to its visual aspects which represent a sort of 'mute eloquence', capable of communicating emotions even beyond cultural and linguistic barriers.

Module II: The actio of declamation (prof. Biagio Santorelli)

After providing a general overview of the fundamental characteristics of declamation and its evolution in Roman times, the lectures will focus on texts that allow us to reconstruct the methods through which rhetoric masters prepared their students to accompany their speeches with appropriate actio suitable for the situations and characters involved.

Particular attention will be dedicated to the Minor Declamations attributed to Quintilian. These speeches, often accompanied by technical explanations from a master addressing his students, provide insights into the dynamics that manifested within a declamation class.

By comparing texts from Greek and Roman treatises, the theoretical principles underlying the precepts transmitted by the master to his students will be clarified. References to contemporary legal and literary sources will enable an understanding of the complexity of the cultural production that emerged within an ancient declamation class.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Textbook: A. Cavarzere, Oratoria a Roma. Storia di un genere pragmatico, Roma: Carocci 2000 (ISBN: 9788843014934).

2. (prof. Moretti): Cicero, De oratore, libro III, 213-230 (Cicerone, Dell’oratore, intr. di E. Narducci, Milano, BUR 1994); Quintilian, Institutio oratoria, book XI, 3, 61-184 (Quintiliano, Institutio oratoria, vol. II, a cura di A. Pennacini, Torino, Einaudi 2001, pp.620-669; note: pp. 975-983).

3. (prof. Santorelli): [Quintiliano], Lesser declamation: translation and commentary of a selection of Lesser declamations, which will be read in class. A detailed list of the text will be made available on Aulaweb.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

BIAGIO SANTORELLI (President)

LORENZO VESPOLI

GABRIELLA MORETTI (President Substitute)

ALICE BONANDINI (Substitute)

ARIANNA FECIT (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

February 19, 2024

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination will consist of an oral test, conducted by Professor Moretti on the program of the first module and by Professor Santorelli on the program of the second module. The final grade will be the average of the two partial grades.

The exam will involve the translation, commentary, and contextualization of a selection of passages from the assigned texts.

The ability to accurately translate the selected texts is essential for passing the exam. Additionally, students should be able to identify the linguistic characteristics of the selected text and reconstruct its historical evolution.

To take the exam, it is necessary to have previously passed a written translation test, second level, administered by Professor Gabriella Moretti. Students are advised to contact her for information regarding dates and procedures.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Grading scale:

• 30 cum laude - 28: The student will be able to translate and discuss accurately the texts and outline their linguistic features;

• 27 - 23: The student will show an overall knowledge of the selected texts, with some flaws that will not prejudice their correct interpretation.

• 22 - 18: The student will show a partial understanding of the texts and their language.

• Fail: The student who will misinterpret or not be able to translate the texts will not pass the exam.

Exam schedule