Plato's Four Muses: The Phaedrus and the Poetics of Philosophy Contributor(s): Capra, Andrea (Author) |
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ISBN: 0674417224 ISBN-13: 9780674417229 Publisher: Harvard University Press OUR PRICE: $24.70 Product Type: Paperback Published: December 2014 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Philosophy | History & Surveys - Ancient & Classical - Literary Criticism | Ancient And Classical - Philosophy | Movements - Humanism |
Dewey: 128 |
Series: Hellenic Studies |
Physical Information: 0.53" H x 6" W x 9" (0.76 lbs) 252 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Plato's Four Muses reconstructs Plato's authorial self-portrait through a fresh reading of the Phaedrus, with an Introduction and Conclusion that contextualize the construction more broadly. The Phaedrus, it is argued, is Plato's most self-referential dialogue, and Plato's reference to four Muses in Phaedrus 259c-d is read as a hint at the "ingredients" of philosophical discourse, which turns out to be a form of provocatively old-fashioned mousik . Andrea Capra maintains that Socrates's conversion to "demotic"--as opposed to metaphorical--music in the Phaedo closely parallels the Phaedrus and is apologetic in character, since Socrates was held responsible for dismissing traditional mousik . This parallelism reveals three surprising features that define Plato's works: first, a measure of anti-intellectualism (Plato counters the rationalistic excesses of other forms of discourse, thus distinguishing it from both prose and poetry); second, a new beginning for philosophy (Plato conceptualizes the birth of Socratic dialogue in, and against, the Pythagorean tradition, with an emphasis on the new role of writing); and finally, a self-consciously ambivalent attitude with respect to the social function of the dialogues, which are conceived both as a kind of "resistance literature" and as a preliminary move toward the new poetry of the Kallipolis. |
Contributor Bio(s): Capra, Andrea: - Andrea Capra is Assistant Professor of Greek Language and Literature at the University of Milan. |