Deception and Democracy in Classical Athens
Deception and Democracy in Classical Athens
This book, first published in 2000, is a full-length study of the representation of deceit and lies in classical Athens. Dr Hesk traces the ways in which Athenian drama, democratic oratory and elite prose-writing construct and theorize a relationship between dishonesty and civic identity. He focuses on the ideology of military trickery, notions of the 'noble lie' and the developing associations of rhetorical language with deceptive communication. Deception and Democracy in Classical Athens combines close analysis of Athenian texts with lively critiques of modern theorists and classical scholars. Athenian democratic culture was crucially informed by a nuanced, anxious and dynamic discourse on the problems and opportunities which deception presented for its citizenry. Mobilizing comparisons with twentieth-century democracies, the author argues that Athenian literature made deception a fundamental concern for democratic citizenship. This ancient discourse on lying highlights the dangers of modern resignation and postmodern complacency concerning the politics and morality of deception.
- A full-length study of deception in classical Athens
- Contains illustrations from modern western democratic culture and the rhetoric of 'spin-doctors'
- Includes material from comedy, tragedy, philosphy, oratory and vase-painting
Product details
No date availablePaperback
9780521028714
348 pages
229 × 153 × 20 mm
0.538kg
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Prologue
- 1. Deception and the rhetoric of Athenian identity
- 2. Deceiving the enemy: negotiation and anxiety
- 3. Athens and the 'noble lie'
- 4. The rhetoric of anti-rhetoric: Athenian oratory
- 5. Thinking with the rhetoric of anti-rhetoric
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Indexes.
