Advances in the History of Rhetoric Jul 2011

Who Wrote the <i>Rhetoric</i> ? A Response to Brad McAdon

Arthur E. Walzer ; Brandon M. Inabinet

Abstract

ABSTRACT In several recent essays, Brad McAdon has argued that Aristotle's Rhetoric is such a fractured, inconsistent text that it is reasonable to conclude it is not the work of a single author, “Aristotle,” but the work of an editor who combined sections of treatises by several authors. This article challenges McAdon's thesis by reexamining the historical transmission of the Rhetoric and analyzing a central passage in the work—namely Rhetoric 1.4–14 (on the idia or special topics)—that McAdon believes Aristotle could not have written.

Journal
Advances in the History of Rhetoric
Published
2011-07-01
DOI
10.1080/15362426.2011.613292
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Topics
rhetorical theory

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Jasso (2015)
    Archaic Argument: Aristotle’s <i>Rhetoric</i> …
    Advances in the History of Rhetoric

Cites in this index (3)

  1. McAdon (2006)
    The “Special Topics” in the<i>Rhetoric</i>: A Reconsideration
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  2. McAdon (2006)
    Strabo, Plutarch, Porphyry and the Transmission and Composition of Aristotle's …
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  3. McAdon (2004)
    Reconsidering the Intention or Purpose of Aristotle's Rhetoric
    Rhetoric Review
Also cites 9 works outside this index ↓
  1. Aristotle (1984)
    Politics
     ↗
  2. Easterling (1985)
    Greek Literature. Cambridge History of Classical Literature
     ↗
  3. Fortenbaugh (2006)
    Persuasion through Character and the Composition of the Rhetoric
     ↗
  4. Fortenbaugh (2006)
    On the Composition of Aristotle's Rhetoric: Arguing the Issue, Emotional Appeal, Persuasi…
     ↗
  5. Karl Kelchner (1944)
    Principles of Textual Criticism Known to St. Jerome
    Harvard Studies in Classical Philology  ↗
  6. Carnes (1986)
    On the Early History of the Aristotelian Corpus
    American Journal of Philology  ↗
  7. Brad (2003)
    Probabilities, Signs, Necessary Signs, Idia, and Topoi: Problems Concerning the Materials…
    Philosophy and Rhetoric  ↗
  8. Rist (1989)
    The Mind of Aristotle: A Study in Philosophical Growth
     ↗
  9. Francesca (2005)
    Plato at Alexandria: Aristophanes, Aristarchus, and the ‘Philological Tradition’ of a Phi…
    Classical Quarterly  ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 3 View in citation network →

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