Emotions, persuasion, and public discourse in classical Athens

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This book contributes to the growing secondary literature on ancient emotions, aiming to explore how contemporary approaches to emotions enhance our understanding of persuasion in classical antiquity, particularly in the civic procedures of classical Athens. It employs cognitive approaches to emotions, Skinner's theoretical insights on ideological language, and ancient theories of enargeia to analyze key aspects of psychological manipulation within ancient rhetorical theory and practice. The text investigates how orators utilized the emotive potential of both visual stimuli and mental imagery. Notable discussions include Gorgias' views on the emotional qualities of sights and their implications for persuasion and deception, as well as Thucydides' examination of emotions in public communication. The book also addresses the use of enargeia in forensic narratives involving violence and the ideological role of envy in Athenian political discourse. It highlights rhetorical strategies used by self-praising speakers to mitigate listeners' disdain. Despite the significance of emotions in classical studies, their influence on persuasion remains under-explored. By advocating for appraisal-oriented analyses of emotions, this work introduces new methodological approaches to ancient pathopoiia, considering the broader ideological contexts that shape rhetorical strategies. This volume is part of a series investigating the history of emotion