- Additional Authors
- Description
- 1 online resource (3 volumes)
- Summary
- "A controversia is a speech purporting to be delivered on behalf of either the prosecution or the defense in an imaginary trial. Slightly simpler is the suasoria, a speech of advice addressed to a mythological or historical character on the verge of making an important decision. Learning how to compose and deliver such speeches, known collectively as declamations (Lat. declamationes, Gk. meletai), was the final stage in the traditional Greco-Roman rhetorical training, which was considered the necessary preparation for public activity throughout the Roman imperial age. Although criticized for the often far-fetched nature of its subjects, declamation remained for more than six centuries the keystone of education for any young citizen who could afford a 'high-school' training. At the same time, this school practice quickly earned the favor of a large audience of professional rhetoricians, enthusiasts, and people of average education: by the 1st century AD, public performances of fictive speeches were among the most popular events in the cultural life of the Roman empire. With its fictional universe of characters, laws, and recurring situations, declamation shaped a cultural background common to the writers and readers of the Greco-Roman world, who all shared the same--more or less standardized--rhetorical education. Among all the extant sources, the nineteen 'Major declamations' wrongly ascribed to Quintilian stand out for their contribution to our understanding of ancient declamation. They are virtually the only fully developed controversiae surviving from pre-medieval Latinity, invaluable because they show how a student was expected to handle the themes, the recurring situations and arguments, the technical rules. And what is more, they lay bare the mistakes that were often made in the process."--
- Series Statement
- Loeb classical library ; LCL 547-LCL 549
- Uniform Title
- Major declamations (Online)
- Declamationes pseudo-Quintilianeae (Maiores). English (Winterbottom)
- Declamationes pseudo-Quintilianeae (Maiores). Latin (Stramaglia)
- Loeb classical library ; 547-549.
- Subject
- Note
- Attributed author's name appears on title pages in square brackets.
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
- Access (note)
- Access restricted to authorized users.
- Language (note)
- Text in Latin with English translation on facing pages ; introduction and notes in English.
- Contents
- Volume I. Preface / Antonio Stramaglia, Michael Winterbottom, Biagio Santorelli -- General introduction -- Declamations 1-5.
- Volume II. Declamations 6-11.
- Volume III. Declamations 12-19 -- Fragments.
- LCCN
- 2021932924
- OCLC
- ssj0002579701
- Title
The major declamations [electronic resource] / [Quintilian] ; edited by Antonio Stramaglia ; translated by Michael Winterbottom ; with notes by Biagio Santorelli and Michael Winterbottom.
- Imprint
Cambridge, Massachusetts ; London, England : Harvard University Press, 2021.
- Series
Loeb classical library ; LCL 547-LCL 549
Loeb classical library ; 547-549.
- Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
- Access
Access restricted to authorized users.
- Language
Text in Latin with English translation on facing pages ; introduction and notes in English.
- Connect to:
- Added Author
Quintilian.
Stramaglia, Antonio.
Winterbottom, Michael, 1934-
Santorelli, Biagio.
- Added Title
Container of (expression): Declamationes pseudo-Quintilianeae (Maiores). English (Winterbottom)
Container of (expression): Declamationes pseudo-Quintilianeae (Maiores). Latin (Stramaglia)