Join us on Wednesday, March 2nd at 2pm to hear Dr. Bess Myers present her talk, Plato’s Rhetorical Universe, in which she will review her article “Platonic Synergy: A Circular Reading of the Sophist and Tiamaeus." This event will take place on Zoom. See below for the talk details (title, abstract, and bio).
Please feel free to reach out to one or both of the CWS Assistant Directors for the Zoom link, or if you have questions: Finola McMahon (finolam2@illinois.edu) and Megan Mericle (mericle2@illinois.edu).
Talk Title: Plato's Rhetorical Universe
Abstract: Plato's Timaeus is a dialogue of epic proportions, in which we learn about the creation of the universe, the origin of human beings, and the relationship between our material world and the immaterial realm of the Forms. It is an essential text in discussions of Platonic philosophy, but in rhetorical studies, the dialogue rarely comes up. This work-in-progress talk asks: what have rhetoricians missed about Plato's rhetorical theory by overlooking the Timaeus? Bess will review her article "Platonic Synergy: A Circular Reading of the Sophist and Timaeus," and will situate its argument in the context of her book project, Plato's Rhetorical Universe. She will conclude with some thoughts—but mostly questions—about “classical” rhetoric and its place in contemporary rhetorical studies.
Presenter Bio: Bess Myers is a Lecturer of English whose research engages with ancient Greek and Roman rhetorics, classical reception, and translation studies. Most recently, her work has been published in the Journal for the History of Rhetoric and in the edited collection A New Handbook of Rhetoric: Inverting the Classical Vocabulary.
