Literary Readings of Oratory

Abstract

Chapter 2 first maps some significant literary features in Demosthenes’ public speeches (such as êthos, pathos, logos, inter- and intra-textuality, and manufactured pseudo-objectivity) and then in four case studies demonstrates their application to support his political agenda: persuasion by êthos takes a satirical turn to galvanize visceral emotion and enforce self-recognition; an elaborate ‘language war’ reinforces the illusion of objective analysis; intra-textual self-validation produces luminous showpieces where identity is enacted; and virtuoso ekphrastic moments disclose the poetics of demegoric persuasion. Together these features create a sense of urgency and inevitability, engaging and persuading through powerful affective, cognitive, and aesthetic appeals.