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The Tyranny of Custom: Discovering Innovations in Forensic Rhetoric from Classical Athens to Anglo-Saxon England

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The Tyranny of Custom: Discovering Innovations in Forensic Rhetoric from Classical Athens to Anglo-Saxon England Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University English Dissertations Department of English Fall 12-14-2017 The Tyranny of Custom: Discovering Innovations in Forensic Rhetoric from Classical Athens to Anglo-Saxon England Steven Sams Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_diss Recommended Citation Sams, Steven, "The Tyranny of Custom: Discovering Innovations in Forensic Rhetoric from Classical Athens to Anglo-Saxon England." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2017. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_diss/187 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of English at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in English Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE TYRANNY OF CUSTOM: DISCOVERING INNOVATIONS IN FORENSIC RHETORIC FROM CLASSICAL ATHENS TO ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND by STEVEN M. SAMS Under the Direction of Elizabeth Burmester, PhD ABSTRACT Scholarship tells the story of the history of rhetoric whereby the study of rhetoric declines first in the “Silver Age of Rome,” then loses any bearings or progress during first the Patristic period of the formation of the early Christian Church in the third through fifth century CE, and undergoes a second decline during the Germanic invasions starting in the fifth century. My task is defining and recovering new sources for rhetoric to spark more creative and in-depth analysis of this period in the history of rhetoric. Rather than simply move through a bibliographical list chronologically, I narrow in on the evolution of rhetorical appeals at specific points in history when a shift in control and usage of such appeals can be perceived, as the focus moves from static or well-established sources to fluid peripheral centers. Chapter 1 explains the exigence and methods for this study, and a recounting of the traditional histories I seek to expand. Set in Classical Athens, and grounded in the species of forensic rhetoric, Chapter 2 discusses how rhetoric, as an institution of the empowered elite, one that enforces societal cohesion, uses rules placed on behavior, thoughts, and identity through logical appeals. Chapter 3 moves geographically and politically from Greece to the late Roman Empire, and examines how authoritarian political dominance forces rhetors to shift to ethical appeals in order to avoid persecution. Chapter 4 investigates fourth and fifth century Alexandrian culture to trace how early Christian factions moved the focus of ethos from a person to a singular text in order to gain prominence over their theological (and thus their political) adversaries. Chapter 5 visits eighth century Carolingian France to discuss how the authors of empirical legitimacy in peripheral kingdoms used rhetoric to promote access to the authoritative ethical text, while further expanding options for other textual ethical authorities. Chapter 6 illustrates how in ninth century England, non-traditional sources such as hagiography expose contemporary rhetorical strategies. INDEX WORDS: Forensic rhetoric, Roman rhetoric, Patristic rhetoric, Carolingian rhetoric, Anglo-Saxon rhetoric, History of Rhetoric, Medieval Rhetoric THE TYRANNY OF CUSTOM: DISCOVERING INNOVATIONS IN FORENSIC RHETORIC FROM CLASSICAL ATHENS TO ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND by STEVEN M. SAMS A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2017 Copyright by Steven M. Sams 2017 THE TYRANNY OF CUSTOM: RHETORIC AS A TOOL OF SOCIETAL COHESION FROM CLASSICAL ATHENS TO ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND by STEVEN M. SAMS Committee Chair: Elizabeth Burmester Committee: Elizabeth Burmester Edward Christie George Pullman Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University May 2017 iv DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to Cara Minardi for interesting me in rhetoric as a field in the first place, to Christina Duncan, Laura Barberán, Vickie Willis, Jennifer Forsthoefel, and Emmeline Gros for helping me persevere in my studies overseas and throughout my career, to Dale Chapman for inspiring me to continue in graduate studies, and to Andrew McSherry, Terri Nicholson, Joe Mitchell, David Cater, and my mother Donna Sams for their untiring support. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere thanks to my advisor, Dr. Beth Burmester, who has been a supportive inspiration for years, and my committee, including Dr. Eddie Christie and Dr. George Pullman; to my M.A. advisor, Dr. Ian Fletcher, as well as the helpful and motivating Dr. Mary Ramsey and Dr. Scott Lightsey. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. v 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 9 1.1 The Received Tradition of Rhetoric ................................................................ 14 1.2 Critical Perspective ........................................................................................... 19 1.3 Methods and Methodology ............................................................................... 23 1.4 Arrangement ...................................................................................................... 30 2 FEAR AND CONFIDENCE: FORENSIC RHETORIC AND SOCIAL COHESION IN CLASSICAL ATHENS .................................................................................. 33 2.1 Law in the Athenian Courts ............................................................................. 36 2.2 Privileging the Elite ........................................................................................... 44 2.3 The Development of Forensic Rhetoric ........................................................... 51 2.4 Jurisprudence and Epistemology ..................................................................... 59 2.5 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 63 3 THE RISE OF THE GOOD MAN SPEAKING WELL AND THE TRIUMPH OF GREEK ETHOS IN ROMAN RHETORIC ...................................................................... 66 3.1 Translating Ethos from Greece to Rome ........................................................ 68 3.2 Translating Morality from Republic to Empire ............................................. 75 3.3 Right Reason and Behaving Well: Roman Rhetoric and the Good Man Speaking Well .......................................................................................................................... 78 vii 3.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 82 4 PATRISTIC TEXTUAL ETHOS and the Rhetoric of Heresy ............................ 85 4.1 Christian Prejudice Toward Pagans and Rhetoric ........................................ 87 4.2 Christian Practices of Rhetoric ........................................................................ 93 4.3 Textual Ethos: Creating an Authoritative Text in Christian Rhetoric ........ 96 4.4 The Rhetoric of Heresy ..................................................................................... 98 4.5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 106 5 SWEET AND DELIGHTFUL: RHETORIC AS A TOOL OF PAROCHIAL LEGITIMACY DURING THE CAROLINGIAN RENAISSANCE ................................... 108 5.1 The Carolingian Renaissance and Alcuin’s Rhetorical Theory .................. 110 5.2 Rhetorical Typology and Frankish Legitimacy ............................................ 115 5.3 The Codification of Legal Authority ............................................................. 121 5.4 The Role of the Scriptorium ........................................................................... 124 5.5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 128 6 DISCOVERING ANGLO-SAXON FORENSIC RHETORIC: ETHICAL AUTHORITY IN ELENE AND LIFE OF SAINT BASIL .................................................... 130 6.1 Personal Ethos, Violence and Other Rhetorical Strategies in Elene .......... 134 6.2 The Dominance of Sacred Personal Ethical Authority in “Life of Saint Basil” 139 6.3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 142 viii 7 CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................... 144 7.1 Implications for Researchers/Scholars .......................................................... 147 7.2 Applications for Teaching .............................................................................. 148 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 150 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 164 Appendix A: Medieval Rhetoric Course Syllabus ..................................................... 164 9 1 INTRODUCTION The title of this study refers to the Tyranny of Custom,
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