This dissertation examines the Hellenistic concept of enargeia (self-evidence/vividness) in both its philosophical and literary dimensions and then applies this concept to a close reading of Lucretius' De rerum natura. I argue that the theory of enargeia provides an important model for understanding the epistemological themes of this epic poem. My study offers a history of the concept from its origins in Homeric poetry through its development as a philosophical term in Plato and Aristotle, before turning to examine the theory enargeia in epistemology, rhetoric, and literary theory in the Hellenistic period. Based on the foundation of these Hellenistic theories, I turn to a discussion of the stylistic effect of enargeia and the link between seeing and knowing in Lucretius. I illustrate how vivid imagery often serves to inspire knowledge in both the reader and the didactic addressee, Memmius. According to Epicurean (and Stoic philosophy), vision and sense-perception of self-evident facts ultimately provide the basis for knowledge. I maintain that we can see this same framework underpin Lucretius' rhetorical strategies, his descriptions, and the way that he guides us as readers to imagine the poetic subjects before our mind's eye. By noticing how enargeia plays a role in Lucretius' philosophy and poetics, we can better understand the way Hellenistic thought continued to influence Latin literature. Through the lens of rhetorical and philosophical theory, I draw important conclusions about the epistemological themes in the poem and how they influence the reader's response. This lens seems entirely appropriate, as Lucretius would have been thoroughly familiar with enargeia through his study of philosophy, rhetoric, and literature. An especially helpful result of my study is that it offers a way to integrate various dimensions of ancient thought--philosophical, rhetorical, literary, and historical--with one another. By considering the topic of enargeia, I show that these dimensions are not separate from each other, but rather they allow us to glimpse how various fields of thought interacted and continued to be appropriated and applied in the creation of poetry in the later Republic, into the imperial age, and throughout the Western tradition. This interdisciplinary approach helps us to draw conclusions about the intellectual background of Lucretius, however my findings and methodology can also be understood to apply for other Latin writers, most importantly Virgil, as I illustrate through a brief study of the end of the Aeneid in my closing chapter. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Classics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2015. / March 16, 2015. / Enargeia, Epicureanism, Lucretius, Philosophy, Rhetoric, Virgil / Includes bibliographical references. / Timothy Stover, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Svetla Slaveva-Griffin, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; John Roberts, University Representative; Nathaniel Stein, Committee Member; Francis Cairns, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_252967 |
| Contributors | Hedrick, Robert E. (Robert Edward) (authoraut), Stover, Tim (professor co-directing dissertation), Slaveva-Griffin, Svetla (professor co-directing dissertation), Roberts, John Russell (university representative), Stein, Nathaniel (committee member), Cairns, Francis (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Arts and Sciences (degree granting college), Department of Classics (degree granting department) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource (263 pages), computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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