A Synoptic History of Classical Rhetoric

by James J. Murphy, Richard A. Katula, Michael Hoppmann

A Synoptic History of Classical Rhetoric provides students with a thorough review of rhetorical theory and practices found in ancient Greece and Rome. This third edition integrates new research into the text and adds richer context within which to understand the growth and development of the rhetorical self-consciousness that is so central to western civilization. It considers writing and speaking as critical tools for the educated Athenian or Roman, and recognizes the role that writing played in the development and practice of rhetoric in the classical age. Eight classical texts are also provided for study and discussion. With vivid examples of the rhetorical concepts developed by each theorist, it enables students to understand rhetoric's role in the exchange of knowledge and ideas.

Genres: Philosophy, History

356 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Dr. Murphy spent his career studying the history and pedagogy of language use, with scholarly work exploring rhetoricians from the Classical Period, the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, and on to modernity. His work extended to the pedagogy of teaching rhetoric, writing, and debate, including texts that have been published in numerous editions and multiple languages including Korean, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, and Polish. Before settling at UC Davis in 1965, he taught at St. Mary’s College, Stanford, and Princeton. During his career, he published 75 journal articles and book chapters and edited numerous volumes.
Dr. James J. Murphy, (Ph.D., Stanford University, 1957), Professor Emeritus at UC Davis, passed away in 2021, at the age of 98. He remained alert and intellectually engaged until just a few days before his death. His final publication, The Oxford Handbook of Quintilian, which he co-edited, arrived exactly one week before he died.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helpful in providing an overview of classical rhetoric, but, sadly, rather poorly written! Some chapters felt illogically arranged or overly pedantic (trying to summarize too much when a few extra excepts in the appendix would have been more useful), while others were simply full of grammar issues or otherwise hard to follow. Excerpts and speeches in the back are very helpful, though.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of our main texts for ENG 570, History of Composition-- "Tracing the Evolving Ecologies of Writing Theory." I had trouble keeping all the different classical rhetoricians straight...