Journal | Lexis
Journal issue | Num. 40 (n.s.) – Giugno 2022 – Fasc. 1
Research Article | Echoes from Plato’s Phaedrus in Aristides’ Smyrna Corpus
Echoes from Plato’s Phaedrus in Aristides’ Smyrna Corpus
Abstract
This paper is concerned with allusions to Plato’s Phaedrus in Aelius Aristides’ first and last orations dedicated to Smyrna before and after the destructive earthquake of 177-178 CE (Orr. 17 and 21 Keil). It focuses on the intertextual connection between Plato’s description of the Phaedrus setting and its role in stimulating philosophical reflection and Aristides’ use of these passages in order to praise Smyrna. It is argued that the landscape of Smyrna inspires Aristides with oratorical creativity, in the same way that the landscape of the Phaedrus is presented as an inspiration to both oratory and philosophical conversation.
Submitted: Aug. 27, 2021 | Accepted: Oct. 28, 2021 | Published June 30, 2022 | Language: en
Keywords Aelius Aristides • Smyrna • Praise • Phaedrus • Landscape
Copyright © 2022 Myrto-Maria Malamou. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/Lexis/2724-1564/2022/01/008
