2003/10/01 by John Logie · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Classical Antiquity Studies #Imitation #Originality #Rhetorical question #Ideal (ethics) #Philosophy #Reflexive pronoun #Rhetoric #Literature #Sociology #Art #Epistemology #Linguistics #Social science
paper · doi:10.1207/s15327981rr2204_2
openalex publication_date 2003/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Quintilian is known primarily as an advocate of a pedagogical system grounded in imitation. But in Book XII of the Institutio Oratoria, Quintilian states that he has left the work of his predecessors behind and, further, that he is offering an original contribution to the rhetorical tradition. Quintilian's claims of originality and proprietary interest throughout his texts demonstrate that he is continually announcing himself as an author, in surprisingly modern terms. This paper argues that Quintilian honors his own demand that the ideal rhetor move beyond quotation and canny arrangement of his predecessors' work.