The Rhetoric of Time and the Time of Rhetoric

Reconstructing the European Experience of Eloquence in The Context of Pedagogical Rhetoric: Philosophical Research and Cultural Studies

“…He presented his rhetorical theory in "Rhetoric, or the Art of Speaking" (1675). Under this theory, rhetoric is not just the art of eloquence but also the art of persuading people with the obvious truth revealed by reason and expressed by means of words (Peters, 2018).…”

“…A renowned rhetorician of that time was the French theologian and teacher François Fenelon (1651-1715), who presented his views in "Dialogues on Eloquence" (1679). In the practice of lively speech, F. Fenelon adhered to his own theory: firstly, the philosopher classified three styles of speech -conventional (evidence-based presentation), medium (picturesque), high (exciting); secondly, oratory should approach poetic; thirdly, the main thing for speakers is clarity and conformity of their speech with righteous thoughts (Peters, 2018).…”

“…Another German philologist, professor of eloquence and poetry at the University of Leipzig, Johann Gottfried Jakob Hermann (1772-1848 further elaborated the ideas of scientific dialogue initiated by his predecessors. The theory of interpretation based on the dialogical concept of understanding (mutual understanding) introduced by the German philosopher, Professor Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (1768-1834), influenced to some extent the formation of the German rhetorical and pedagogical culture at this time (Peters, 2018).…”