Quintilian’s Concept and Classifications of Rhetoric

This chapter provides an overview of Quintilian’s views on the categories of rhetoric (in relation to existing positions) as outlined in the second part of Book 2 and in Book 3. Concepts discussed include the definition, function, and character of rhetoric, comments on the history of rhetoric and rhetorical theory, the parts of rhetoric, the theory of status, as well as the different types of speeches and their characteristics. It can be shown that this part of the Institutio oratoria is an important source and illustrates how an educated and well-read professional rhetorician in the early Imperial period reacts to views expressed by predecessors, especially since Quintilian, as a true researcher, aims to offer a panorama of views from which both he and his readers can choose.