The Gorgianic Figures in Early Greek Prose (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from The Gorgianic Figures in Early Greek ProseAlthough the evidence of the ancients points to Gorgias as having been the first to introduce his figures at Athens (whatever may have been the case in Sicily), J. Becker' holds that the tetra Iogies of Antiphon, which abound in Gorgianic adornment, were composed before Gorgias' arrival, inferring that the Gorgianic Figures were used in Athens independently. To this opinion Belling2 subscribes. But the date of Antiphon's speeches is open to discussion. We should doubtless have some ancient mention of the fact, if Antiphon had originated the figures. The reasons for which the Gorgianic Figures are said to have been invented' hardly accord with Antiphon's character, whether they were intended to conceal poverty of thought beneath a rich exterior, or to reproduce the effects of poetry by its rhythms and assonances. Besides Antiphon, the only Athenian contemporary of Gorgias in whose works the Gorgianic Figures abound is Thucydides and no one has ever thought of ascribing their invention to him. Gorgias' originality on Athenian ground, then, may be regarded as established.The question of the invention of the Gorgianic Figures having thus been examined, let us sum up the results.' How far their invention was due to Gorgias' teachers in Sicily cannot be known, but, judging from the early Sicilian writings, Gorgias' originality there also is probable. For Athenian literature, he was practically their inventor. Deductions must be made from his claims, in general, on account of the occurrence of some of his figures in a writer independent of his in¿uence, like Heraclitus, and also on account of the popular tendency toward antithesis and parono masia.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.