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Paper Presentation
Paper Presentation
SPCM 601: Rhetorical Theory
by Chance Lachowitzer
Context & Arguments
The decline of rhetoric in response to the rise of the Cartesian system and science
In his autobiography, Vico states that the "city taste in letters changed every two or three years like styles in dress" (133).
Rhetoric and the position of professor of rhetoric at the University of Naples is not regarded with particular interest by most scholars, academics, or Vico himself.
Vico's rhetoric as secondary or foundational?
Method of Investigation
Vico's Foundational Rhetoric
Far from being contradictory, these counter-arguments underlie the pervasive and intricate nature of Vico's rhetoric as foundational to all forms of knowledge. In short, Vico's rhetoric is based on the union between wisdom and eloquence for "without eloquence wisdom is mute and without wisdom eloquence is vain" (9).
To be continued...
Textual Analysis:
- Orations (1699-1707)
- Expansion of seventh oration to "On the Study Methods of Our Time" (1709)
- The "Autobiography of Vico Giambattista" (1725)
Notable works are excluded:
- New Science
- Universal Law
for clarity and length parameters
Purpose/Intent
Influence and Dissemination of Vico
In the forward of The Theory of Knowledge of Giambattista Vico, Richard Manson remarks on the "lay as well as professional ignorance" surrounding Vico and Vichian studies (iv).
Using Foucault's terminology, Vico is a largely unidentified "founder of discoursivity"
In the preface to Vico Selected Writings, Leon Pompa states, "Vico was a many-sided thinker, whose interests and investigations extended into epistemology, social and political philosophy, jurisprudence, rhetoric, mythology, philology, anthropology, history and many other disciplines" (xi).
The Rhetoric of Giambattista Vico
In previous and contemporary scholarship, Vico's rhetoric is often neglected entirely or misused in conjunction with other disciplines and/or scholarly methods.
- value
- pertinence
"In short, rhetoric is instrumental to all scholarly research and criticism of Giambattista Vico" (5).
Also, Vico is an invaluable contributor to the canon of rhetoric
1668-1744
Naples, Italy
Professor of Rhetoric at the University of Naples
"On the Study Methods of Our Time" (The Rhetorical Tradition)
- Rhetorical Tradition
- Rhetorical Contribution
- Historical Context
- Textual Analysis