ENGL 309B Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Homily, Neoplatonism, Inventio
19 Oct 2016
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Manichaeism, struggle between good and evil and light and dark. First interest, diverts him from study of law. Interested in writing, wrote a book about grammar (?) Interested in christianity, interested in the struggle btwn good and evil. Give me chastity but not yet, torn by body - spirit duality. Accepting a chair of rhetoric, at the court of milan. Teacher, but has access to a great deal of power. Gives up concubine, gives up marriage arranged by mother. Becomes a priest, resigns from chair of rhetoric. Is accused that his use of language is unchristian. Propagating the pagan way of speaking and influence. Dialectic: classical form of persuasion, conversation between two people. Start a opposing positions, may argue, but is one or the other conceding, eventually. Search for the truth, cedes a point when someone else makes it. Rhetoric and dialectic are tools, not inherently manipulative or evil, but they do move, teach, and please people.
