The Beginnings of Rhetorical Theory in Classical Greece

In this provocative new book, Edward Schiappa argues that rhetorical theory did not originate with the Sophists in the fifth century B.C.E., but developed nearly a century later. Closely examining the terminology of early rhetorical history, Schiappa not only revises the way we understand that history but also contends we must alter the way we read both the Sophists and Aristotle and Plato.