Project Gutenberg 2005-02-11 Public domain in the USA. 664 Tacitus, Cornelius 56 117 Tacitus, Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, Caius Cornelius Tacitus, Publius Cornelius Murphy, Arthur 1727 1805 Ranger, Charles A Dialogue Concerning Oratory, or the Causes of Corrupt Eloquence The Works of Cornelius Tacitus, Volume 8 (of 8); With an Essay on His Life and Genius, Notes, Supplements Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialogus_de_oratoribus Produced by Ted Garvin, Tom Martin and the PG Online Distributed Proofreading Team "A Dialogue Concerning Oratory, or the Causes of Corrupt Eloquence" by Tacitus is a philosophical treatise likely written in the first century AD. The work is structured as a dialogue between several notable figures, including Curiatius Maternus, Julius Secundus, and Marcus Aper, who debate the state of oratory and its decline from the eloquence of ancient times. The central theme revolves around the reasons for the deterioration of effective communication and the contrast between poets and orators in terms of societal value and personal fulfillment. The opening of the dialogue introduces the characters and sets the stage for a discussion on the decline of eloquence from its earlier, more esteemed forms. Maternus has recently faced criticism for his obscure tragedy, which leads to a conversation with Aper and Secundus about the merits of oratory versus poetry. Aper argues for the superiority and advantages of pursuing a career in oratory, outlining the public esteem and personal benefits it entails, while Maternus defends his passion for poetry as a higher calling despite the risks and sacrifices it entails. The discussion quickly evolves into an exploration of the differences between ancient and modern eloquence, touching on education, style, and the societal attitudes toward each profession. The groundwork for a critique of contemporary rhetorical practices is laid as the characters delve into specific examples and broader implications of their beliefs. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 59.0 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Dialogues, Latin Oratory, Ancient PA Text Classical Antiquity Browsing: History - Ancient Browsing: Language & Communication Browsing: Literature Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: Philosophy & Ethics 523681 2025-06-06T11:30:17.660675 text/html 488732 2020-12-14T02:13:44 text/html; charset=utf-8 181076 2020-12-14T02:13:44 text/html; charset=utf-8 application/zip 290410 2025-06-06T11:30:29.424553 application/epub+zip 302920 2025-06-06T11:30:21.920588 application/epub+zip 269500 2025-06-06T11:30:20.313623 application/epub+zip 622184 2025-06-06T11:30:34.599563 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 572189 2025-06-06T11:30:28.346637 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 349372 2022-09-07T19:30:51.508445 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 439668 2025-06-06T11:30:15.897636 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 439617 2020-12-14T02:13:44 text/plain; charset=utf-8 171041 2020-12-14T02:13:44 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 438908 2020-12-14T02:13:44 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 170679 2020-12-14T02:13:44 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 439414 2020-12-14T02:13:44 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 170366 2020-12-14T02:13:44 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 24259 2025-06-06T11:30:34.756528 application/rdf+xml 24387 2025-06-06T11:30:20.931598 image/jpeg 4477 2025-06-06T11:30:20.622614 image/jpeg 283942 2025-06-06T11:30:17.700694 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia