Workshop: Sviatoslav Dmitriev, with a response from Matthew Ward
Date and Time
Sviatoslav Dmitriev (Ball State), "Homer and the Rhetorical Tradition" with a response from Matthew Ward (Cambridge)
Abstract: Although ancient and Byzantine authors did not consistently credit Homer as the founder of rhetoric, Homeric poetry served as a foundational resource for rhetorical theory, education, and practice. Rhetorical manuals, grammarians, and critics treated Homer as a master of techniques later codified in the handbooks, such as characterization and ekphrasis. Across centuries, this reception constructed Homer not merely as a poet but as a paradigmatic authority across rhetorical sub-genres. This paper provides two more illustrations of the rhetorical significance of Homeric poems, offering a new interpretation of the role of Circe, Calypso, and Leucothea in The Odyssey, a popular topic in ancient and modern works, and tracing how the image of the all-wise Homer supported rhetoric’s claim to universal application.
2025–2026 Works in progress talk (organizers: Jackie Arthur-Montagne and Giulia Maltagliati)