Genres in Dialogue - Hardcover

by Andrea Wilson Nightingale (Author)

In this very original study, the author investigates how Plato "invented" the discipline of philosophy. In order to define and legitimize philosophy, Dr. Nightingale maintains, Plato had to match it against genres of discourse that had authority and currency in democratic Athens. By incorporating traditional genres of poetry and rhetoric into his dialogues, Plato marks the boundaries of philosophy as a discursive and as a social practice.

Back Jacket

This book takes as its starting point Plato's incorporation of specific genres of poetry and rhetoric into his dialogues.