Prose Performance Texts:Epideixisand Written Publication in the Late Fifth and Early Fourth Centuries

Schools, Reading and Poetry in the Early Greek World

“…274c-278e with Finkelberg (2007). 72 36-7; Johnson (1994) 231, (2000) 618-9; Thomas (2003) 166, 172. 73 For the tension between the polis and writing see Steiner (1994) chapter 5.…”

Plato, Memory, and Performance

“…He says that he is envious of the rhapsodes like Ion for their art (tekhnê), which allows them to dress up and look glamorous, 6 and to have intimate knowledge of many fine poets, 4 Cf. Thomas 2003. For detailed examinations of the issues relating to literacy and orality in classical Greece, see Thomas 1989 and1992.…”

Writing a Revolution: From Oral to Literate Cultural Transmission in Ancient Athens

“…As Thomas (2006) notes, we have explicit evidence for only two kinds of publications, both of which are non-commercial. First, we have texts made by the author for his private use (such as texts for the purpose of memorization in preparation for a public speech), and, second, we have unofficial texts that are created by listeners from their hypomnemata (recollected notes from conversations and speeches).…”

“…Marchant defines in his annotations as a "performance, 'feat,' 'show piece,' or 'prize,' and here specifically of a prize composition." 76 Thomas (2000) argues that we should interpret ἀγώνισµα not only as a reference to Herodotus -the first Greek historian, whom Thucydides sets himself in historiographical opposition to throughout his work -but also to the entire performance culture of his time. 77 Given such tremendous similarities -Thucydides' also considered his writing a technology of the self that he wrote to effect widespread change, and he wrote and took part in the paradigm-shift from oral to literary modes of discourse -it would not be inappropriate to claim that this thesis' model is almost as much a Thucydidean cultural transmission process as a Platonic one.…”

“…76 Marchant (1909). 77 Thomas (2000). 78 There are some differences between the two ancient authors, however.…”