Ekphrasis, Imagination and Persuasion in Ancient Rhetorical Theory and Practice

by Ruth Webb

This is a study of ekphrasis, the art of making listeners and readers 'see' in their imagination through words alone, as taught in ancient rhetorical schools and as used by Greek writers of the Imperial period (2nd-6th centuries CE). The author places the practice of ekphrasis within its cultural context, emphasizing the importance of the visual imagination in ancient responses to rhetoric, poetry and historiography. By linking the theoretical writings on ekphrasis with ancient theories of imagination, emotion and language, she brings out the persuasive and emotive function of vivid language in the literature of the period. This study also addresses the contrast between the ancient and the modern definitions of the term ekphrasis, underlining the different concepts of language, literature and reader response that distinguish the ancient from the modern approach. In order to explain the ancient understanding of ekphrasis and its place within the larger system of rhetorical training, the study includes a full analysis of the ancient technical sources (rhetorical handbooks, commentaries) which aims to make these accessible to non-specialists. The concluding chapter moves away from rhetorical theory to consider the problems and challenges involved in 'turning listeners into spectators' with a particular focus on the role of ekphrasis within ancient fiction. Attention is also paid to texts that lie at the intersection of the modern and ancient definitions of ekphrasis, such as Philostratos' Imagines and the many ekphraseis of buildings and monuments to be found in Late Antique literature.

252 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a scholarly book that is likely on to interest an academic audience. The phenomenon of “ekphrasis/ecphrasis” may not even be familiar to a lay audience, but Webb’s discussion of the topic is groundbreaking, definitive, and largely jargon-free. Ecphrasis is a term that is often used by literary scholars to describe a certain type of set-piece, usually a description of an artwork, such as the famous the description of Achilles’ shield in book 18 of the Iliad, but the first ancient discussion of this term appears in the Roman period in ancient progymnasmata, school exercises for hopeful orators, and the use of the term in this context differs a lot from the way modern literary scholars use it. Those who want a definitive discussion of literary ecphrasis may be disappointed that this book largely limits itself to Roman oratory, but that is simply the nature of the evidence. Webb points out occasionally that the ideas of these later texts may, in fact, be much older, but there is no way to prove that. Nevertheless, anyone who wants to talk about ancient ecphrasis needs to read this book.

The first chapter explores what many modern literary scholars mean when they say ecphrasis and traces the geneaology of this terminology from a few tendentious scholars in the middle 20th century. The rest of the book explores the way the ancients thought about and used ecphrasis as a rhetorical technique. One major issue is that although ecphrasis seems to exist from the beginning of Greek literature, there are no theoretical discussions of them until the Roman period. In fact, as Webb makes clear, the rhetorical progymnasmata are themselves more practical than theoretical. These school exercises aim to teach hopeful orators how to best practice their craft. Nevertheless, they offer many useful insights into this term, which overlap with important aspects of ancient philosophical discourse and poetics. This book attempts to scale back the discussion of ecphrasis by focusing on the ancient sources and using them to deduce the ancient conception and experience of this important rhetorical/literary figure. Webb is careful in her argumentation, and sometimes she will use multiple proofs to definitively assert the same point. This can make the book seem a little plodding, but it also makes its conclusions more authoritative.

A major claim, which recurs at various points throughout the book, is that ancient audiences experienced words differently than modern audiences. This may seem sort of banal, but it is a major debate in studies of the ancient world. Were the ancients just like us, or were they different? Earlier scholars sometimes were tempted to use the colonialist language of modern/primitive, which paints the ancients as inferior and moderns as inherently wiser and more developed. Webb avoids this. She points out that the ancients experienced words and description differently than we do, but this difference is not accompanied by a teleological value judgement. Webb demonstrates a mastery of both Angloamerican and Francophone scholarship. This is a book that anyone who wants to talk about ancient ecphrasis needs to read.

[Lette Hass]

Buena investigación sobre los modelos tradicionales de ekphrasis que pueden ser comparados con la retórica de las descripciones que surgieron en la modernidad temprana. Para quienes estudiamos la circulación de objetos y artefactos del "nuevo mundo" en las cortes europeas de los siglos XVI y XVII. Muy buen libro.