Composition in the Classical Tradition borrows from late antiquity a series of composition exercises called the progymnasmata to teach the art of persuasion. The exercises apply an understanding of the invention and composition of arguments from ancient rhetoric to a writer's own forms of persuasive communication. This book is structured to provide an effectively graded sequence of exercises, manageable at each step, from the simple to the more difficult and from the concrete to the abstract, within an explicit rhetorical framework. Learn how to compose an essay or a speech by first becoming proficient at its parts Composition in the Classical Tradition features a variety of ancient forms myths, historical episodes, descriptions, fables, proverbs, anecdotes, and speeches for readers to enjoy while learning how to write and speak persuasively. For anyone interested in composition and classical rhetoric.
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Composition in the Classical Tradition borrows from late antiquity a series of composition exercises called the progymnasmata to teach the art of persuasion. The exercises apply an understanding of the invention and composition of arguments from ancient rhetoric to a writer's own forms of persuasive communication.
This book is structured to provide an effectively graded sequence of exercises, manageable at each step, from the simple to the more difficult and from the concrete to the abstract, within an explicit rhetorical framework. Learn how to compose an essay or a speech by first becoming proficient at its parts Composition in the Classical Tradition features a variety of ancient forms myths, historical episodes, descriptions, fables, proverbs, anecdotes, and speeches for readers to enjoy while learning how to write and speak persuasively.
For anyone interested in composition and classical rhetoric.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good teaching method, strange writing samples,
By
This review is from: Composition in the Classical Tradition (Paperback)
Other reviewers have given good reviews explaining the value of this book for teaching composition and after reading them I decided to check this book out from my library and see for myself. I found many of the writing samples to be very odd. Here are a couple of examples.
"The police found Mary Beth huddled naked in one corner of a small, filthy, foul-smelling bedroom. One thin wrist was tied to a bedpost with an electric cord. Her frail body was a mass of bruises and welts." "I have a twelve-year old daughter who gets good grades in school and who is generally well behaved. However, last summer she began seeing a fifteen-year old boy. After some time I discovered evidence that she was having sex with this boy." In this writing example, the writer of this Dear Abby style letter goes on to discuss that she's not sure what to do. There are many writing examples that have graphic, disturbing images and ideas such as these. I was hoping to use this book as part of a classical education homeschooling program for my high school age daughter, but there is too much of this just plain weird writing for my tastes. Five stars for the type of composition teaching method, zero stars for the icky-ness.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Systematic Approach to Composition Instruction,
By Kevin L. Nenstiel "omnivore" (Kearney, Nebraska) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Composition in the Classical Tradition (Paperback)
To the best of my awareness, this is the only textbook in vernacular English concerning the progymnasmata, a series of exercises used in the eastern Mediterranean in late Antiquity to teach the steps preparatory to crafting a formal speech or argument in the public sphere. Though classicist George A. Kennedy has translated the surviving Greek handbooks into English for study (q.v.), this book is the only one to incorporate current rhetorical and literary theory in the process of creating a finely crafted preparatory argument.
This book assumes familiarity with written English but no prior training in creating written argument. The author's target audience appears to be lower-division high school students and other such inexperienced writers. The text includes a synoptic, and perhaps overly pat, introduction to the process of formal argument, but this intro is not necessary to understand the exercises. The approach is systematic and each chapter builds on the processes introduced in the prior chapter. Thankfully, this text does not limit itself to the progymnasmata as laid out in the ancient handbooks. It draws on arrangement structures and concepts from rhetoricians like Quintillian and Cicero to amplify the steps. The chapters are detailed without being prolix, and complete without being wordy. Some of the discussion and writing questions seem a little abstruse; I frequently find myself making up my own questions and assignments for my students rather than relying on those in the book. When I was learning how to teach composition, I remember my teacher and my fellow students lamenting that there was no systematic approach to the teaching of writing. We felt we were flailing like drowning people in deep water. Imagine my pleasure on discovering that exactly this sort of methodical teaching process has been in existence for millennia. Why this system isn't better known I cannot imagine, but the fact that an orderly teaching method already exists is a godsend to me, and probably will be to other composition teachers as well.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A writing teacher's most valuable find.,
By Jessica "myth lover" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Composition in the Classical Tradition (Paperback)
An invaluable resource! I have been using the progymnasmata to teach writing for two years and I have been looking for a book like this. This book provides richness and depth to understanding the progymnasmata exercises by placing them squarely into the rhetorical handbook tradition. It will give me and my students an even better understanding than before.
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