Abstract

108 RHETORICA numbering is still useful; Behr edited orations 1—16 in 1968 and Keil in 1898 (reprinted) edited 17-52. In addition Behr in 1981-86 translated all the works of Aristides in 2 volumes. Raffaella Cribiore, New York Richard Leo Enos, Greek Rhetoric Before Aristotle. Revised and Expanded Edition. Anderson, SC: Parlor Press, 2012. 272 pp. Cloth: $60. Paper: $32. Adobe ebook: $20. ISBN-13: 978-1-60235-212-4. When Greek Rhetoric Before Aristotle's first edition was released in 1993, the reviews were not flattering. Carol Poster's review in Rhetoric Society Quar­ terly (26.3) called the book, "quite disappointing, containing little information that is not readily available in the libraries of most research universities." Similarly, William W. Fortenbaugh, writing in Philosophy and Rhetoric (28.2) notes that "Enos's discussion of Homer and the rhapsodes disappointed me, despite the fact that I am no expert in Homeric questions." The early cri­ ticisms of the book seem unduly harsh considering the territory Enos is exploring. Fortenbaugh, for instance, sums it up nicely as "for it [Enos's book] confronted me with material either long forgotten or rarely considered," but then drops this consideration from his critique. What Poster and Fortenbaugh did not recognize at the time was that Richard Leo Enos was planting the seeds of his theory of Archaeological Rhetoric. Enos begins his theory in the first edition of Greek Rhetoric Before Aristotle and expands this idea in several iterations leading to the expanded and revised second edition. In his 2002 article in RSQ (32.1), "The Archae­ ology of Women in Rhetoric: Rhetorical Sequencing as a Research Method for Historical Scholarship," Enos argues that research needs to cut through "pedantic refinery, exhibiting two traits essential to research: a passion for discovering primary sources and the cavalier, but resourceful, methods by which they go about solving their research problems." It is in this spirit that the Revised and Expanded edition attempts to reinterpret early Greek rhetorical tradition through archaeological and epigraphical evidence—and in cultural context. This is exactly what the Revised and Expanded edition addresses. In the nineteen years since the original edition was published, Enos refined his theory of Archaeological Rhetoric. The new edition is almost twice the length of the original and attempts to answer the criticisms of the earlier edition. What early critics misunderstood was that Enos was not attempting to be comprehensive in his chapters, he was attempting to redefine method in rhetorical inquiry. Expanded from the original five, Greek Rhetoric Before Aristotle's nine chapters are loosely chronological following his theory of Archaeological Rhetoric, including a strong bibliography developed since the initial volume. It is, of course, impossible to fully represent every aspect of Enos's arguments and examples here, but several high points are worth noting. Reviews 109 The first two chapters consider the development Homeric literature as a discourse genie spread by the Greek rhapsodes. Enos explains that once this body of knowledge was created, the discourse modes of heuristic, eris­ tic, and protreptic were needed to expand and recite the hymns. His discus­ sion of the rhapsodes better explains the shift in Greek culture from true orality to a written medium. Using archaeological examples, Enos examines inscriptions that explicit archaeological evidence, predating Homer by sev­ eral hundred years, reveals that this early form of paragraph was already being standardized within an oral culture" (49). These examples of written text were actually attempts to quantify elements already deduced in speech. Chapters III through V explore the problem in studying Hellenic rhetoric: scholars often assume that rhetorical acts were practiced only by the educated few. Professor Enos argues that during this era craft and functional literacy was widespread. Given the emerging development of alphabetic systems, the ability to decode was readilv available. His archaeological evidence is intrigu­ ing to the growing functional literacy among the tradesmen of the polis, such as the recording of votes bv citizens on potsherds, or ostraca. Chapter IV and V are perhaps the most interesting chapters in the volume. Sicily's "rhetorical climate" (97) is important because it frames the contributions of Corax and Tisias, and the importance of Gorgias to the...