John’s reply to the Cornificians emphasizes the role of both natural talent and learned skill. The eloquent person, they argue, is a product not of art but of nature. John describes their position as follows: “ules of eloquence are superfluous, and the possession or lack of eloquence depends on nature.” In other words, it is a faculty that cannot be learned. In John’s own words, “e alone is eloquent who fittingly and efficaciously expresses himself as he intends.” John and the Corificians disagree about the latter’s assertion that eloquence cannot be taught. John of Salisbury defines eloquence simply and effectively as “the faculty of appropriate and effective verbal expression,” and later, he states that “ne who can with facility and adequacy verbally express his mental perceptions is eloquent.” He agrees with the “the Conificans” (the disciples of Cornificus, who were the target of John’s polemic) that this faculty is not universally or evenly distributed it is obvious that not all are equally eloquent. Without minimizing its inherent dangers, John shows that eloquence is useful both to the good man and the bad eloquence is, to him, something that can be abused, but, as Aristotle reminded his readers, the abuse of a thing does not abolish its proper use. Understanding this concern, John quotes Cicero, who acknowledges the danger that comes with skill and fluency with words: “Nothing is so unlikely that words cannot lend an air of probability nothing so repulsive and rude that speech cannot polish it and somehow render it attractive, as though it had been remade for the better.” Contemporary readers, weary of the polished and persuasive but often misleading rhetoric used in the media, need a statement of the positive powers of eloquence in speech and writing. Indeed, many people view it with suspicion, as if interest in becoming articulate and well-spoken signifies nefarious motives such as the will to deceive or manipulate. John’s defense of eloquence is important today because most non-classical schools pay little to no attention to the acquisition of eloquence. The two most important objections reject first the possibility and then the value of becoming more adept in the art of eloquent expression. ![]() ![]() In it, he answers those who objected to the need for educators to cultivate eloquence in speech. In 1180 John of Salisbury published The Metalogicon, a treatise written in defense of the Trivium.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |