Author: Atkins, Jed W. and Trotz-Liboff, Leo
Title: Cicero’s De Oratore and the Platonic Art of Writing
Review/Collection: in Hahmann, Andree & Vazquez, Michael, Cicero as Philosopher - New Perspectives on His Philosophy and Its Legacy, De Gruyter, 2025, 412 p.
Place edition: Berlin Boston
Editor: De Gruyter
Year edition: 2025
Pages: 97-127
Keywords: Éloquence - Eloquenza - Eloquence, Philosophie - Filosofia - Philosophy, Stylistique et genres littéraires - Stilistica e generi letterari - Stylistics and literary genre
Description: Jed Atkins and Leo Trotz-Liboff offer a close reading of the under-theorized dialogue De oratore. By taking seriously the work’s obvious parallel with Plato’s Phaedrus, they offer a meticulous account of the characteristic features of a Platonic art of writing in Cicero’s political philosophy, including esotericism, concealment, ambiguity, and logographic necessity. Their analysis underscores the philosophical interest of De oratore and the importance of its chronological priority among the dialogues of the 50s. Furthermore, their chapter serves as a model for interpreting Cicero’s dialogues with due care to the historical, dramatic, and political aspects that shape them [Hahmann & Vazquez 2025, 5].
Works:
Author initials: Atkins & Trotz-Liboff 2025
Title: Cicero’s De Oratore and the Platonic Art of Writing
Review/Collection: in Hahmann, Andree & Vazquez, Michael, Cicero as Philosopher - New Perspectives on His Philosophy and Its Legacy, De Gruyter, 2025, 412 p.
Place edition: Berlin Boston
Editor: De Gruyter
Year edition: 2025
Pages: 97-127
Keywords: Éloquence - Eloquenza - Eloquence, Philosophie - Filosofia - Philosophy, Stylistique et genres littéraires - Stilistica e generi letterari - Stylistics and literary genre
Description: Jed Atkins and Leo Trotz-Liboff offer a close reading of the under-theorized dialogue De oratore. By taking seriously the work’s obvious parallel with Plato’s Phaedrus, they offer a meticulous account of the characteristic features of a Platonic art of writing in Cicero’s political philosophy, including esotericism, concealment, ambiguity, and logographic necessity. Their analysis underscores the philosophical interest of De oratore and the importance of its chronological priority among the dialogues of the 50s. Furthermore, their chapter serves as a model for interpreting Cicero’s dialogues with due care to the historical, dramatic, and political aspects that shape them [Hahmann & Vazquez 2025, 5].
Works:
Author initials: Atkins & Trotz-Liboff 2025
