THE HISTORIA IN BIOGRAPHY
a study on the source methodology and style in Plutarch's Life of Demosthenes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26512/pl.v2i3.11546Keywords:
Ancient Biography. Ancient Historiography. Plutarch. Writing. Orality.Abstract
This work unveils historiographical elements in Plutarch's Life of Demosthenes by exploring the references used by the author. At first, a certain similarity can be noted between this biography and a narrative form described in the Rhetoric, by Aristotle (1416b21), for whom tékhnÄ“ is produced in oral speech, not in historiographical accounts. Yet, when references are both oral and written, Plutarch favors the latter, while, when they are only oral, he may develop criticisms or show preferences. In Life of Alexander, another biography by Plutarch, the author sometimes prefers letters written by Alexander himself over other historians' reports. Analyzing these biographies reveals that Plutarch is quite careful when he exposes such accounts. Although both texts look alike when it comes to narrative, Plutarch's position to use the biographee's letters in Life of Alexander is nowhere to be found in Life of Demosthenes.Downloads
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