The play of character in Plato's Dialogues / / Ruby Blondell

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910965191203321
• Autore: Blondell Ruby <1954->
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 2002
• ISBN: 1-107-12209-0; 1-280-43298-5; 0-511-17708-9; 0-511-15797-5; 0-511-32988-1; 0-511-48247-7; 0-511-04721-5
• Edizione: [1st ed.]
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (xi, 452 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)
• Disciplina: 184
• Soggetti: Characters and characteristics
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (p. 397-427) and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Drama and dialogue -- Reading Plato -- Plato the "dramatist" -- Why dialogue form? -- The imitation of character -- "Character" -- The Platonic Sokrates -- Mimetic pedagogy -- The elenctic Sokrates at work: Hippias Minor -- The elenctic Sokrates -- Hippias and Homer -- Sokrates and Hippias -- Rewriting Homer -- A changing cast of characters: Republic -- Socratic testing: three responses -- Playing devil's advocate -- Sokrates and the sons of Ariston -- Self-censorship -- Learning by example -- Reproducing Sokrates: Theaetetus -- Sokrates and the philosopher prince -- Likeness -- Difference -- Cutting the cord -- Becoming Sokrates -- Putting Sokrates in his place: Sophist and Statesman -- Plato's triad -- The Man with No Name -- Homogenized, pasteurized respondents -- The visitor's pedagogy -- Assaulting the father -- A place for everything, and everything in its place -- A word is worth a thousand pictures -- The visitor and Sokrates -- Silencing Sokrates.
• Sommario/riassunto: This book attempts to bridge the gulf that still exists between 'literary' and 'philosophical' interpreters of Plato by looking at his use of characterization. Characterization is intrinsic to dramatic form and a ; concern with human character in an ethical sense pervades the dialogues on the discursive level. Form and content are further reciprocally related through Plato's discursive preoccupation with literary characterization. Two opening chapters examine the methodological issues involved in reading Plato 'as drama' and a set of questions surrounding Greek 'character' words (especially ethos), including ancient Greek views about the influence of dramatic character on an audience. The figure of Sokrates qua Platonic 'hero' also receives preliminary discussion. The remaining chapters offer close readings of select dialogues, chosen to show the wide range of ways in which Plato uses his characters, with special emphasis on the kaleidoscopic figure of Sokrates and on Plato's own relationship to his 'dramatic' hero.