Page 304 - Gabrijela Kišiček and Igor Ž. Žagar (eds.), What do we know about the world? Rhetorical and argumentative perspectives, Digital Library, Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana 2013
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What Do We Know about the World?
may incur to students. Imitation is not considered to be a passive pro-
cess but, rather, an agonistic one. The “ideal’ orator is challenged to rea-
son and to emulate the offered models through the addition of person-
al elements and the substitution or deletion of existent features of the
proposed discourse or style. In this sense, imitation acts as an incentive
force which stimulates the cognitive, aesthetic, functional and linguis-
tic choices of the imitator.
In the medieval period, Saint Augustine seems to draw upon Quin-
tilian’s teachings. He couples imitation, as a rhetorical method of cul-
tivating the expression of discourse (modus preferendi), with Christian
ideas. He explicitly suggests that for future preachers the imitation of
prior models like the holy scriptures are a safe way of acquiring elo-
quence and wisdom (Saint Augustin, 1958: 154–155).
Similar Greco-Roman ideas about imitation can be easily detected
in the era of English Renaissance education. In the influential work of
Wilson (1560), The Arte of Rhetorique, the author admits the necessity of
“following the waies of wifemen”, by taking “some colour of them” (5).
Imitation is recognized as an undeniable method of learning to speak
and write eloquently, since the model of the literate man represented the
person “who could speak spontaneously, copiously and persuasively on
any subject’ (Rhodes, 1992: 43).
2.4. The Period of the Crisis
The methodic and systematic commitment of Erasmus to copious-
ness is considered to be a representative example of Tudor’s educational
trend. For Erasmus, the passionate practice of imitative exercises for the
achievement of various educational purposes focuses, especially, on stu-
dents’ moral training (Desiderius, 1978: 682–683). Unfortunately, his
effort can’t be paralleled with Plutarch’s example. By presenting both
the Lives of honest and bad men – as mimetic poles or as models to avoid
– Plutarch aimed at the formation of virtuous characters (Duff, 2002).
On the contrary, Erasmus intended to students’ ethical indoctrination
according to current Christian demands influencing in a catalytic way
the imitative pedagogy of his era. The semantic distortion of the term
imitatio is a consequence of the alteration to classical principles of its
practice by Erasmus. (Erdmann, 1993: 3, 10)
This seems to start the ongoing crisis of imitatio in pedagogy and,
especially, in the field of writing. The passage of the 18th century may be
characterized as a dark page in its history. Scholars ascribe the decline
to two main reasons. First, imitation is interpreted as a sterile and pas-
may incur to students. Imitation is not considered to be a passive pro-
cess but, rather, an agonistic one. The “ideal’ orator is challenged to rea-
son and to emulate the offered models through the addition of person-
al elements and the substitution or deletion of existent features of the
proposed discourse or style. In this sense, imitation acts as an incentive
force which stimulates the cognitive, aesthetic, functional and linguis-
tic choices of the imitator.
In the medieval period, Saint Augustine seems to draw upon Quin-
tilian’s teachings. He couples imitation, as a rhetorical method of cul-
tivating the expression of discourse (modus preferendi), with Christian
ideas. He explicitly suggests that for future preachers the imitation of
prior models like the holy scriptures are a safe way of acquiring elo-
quence and wisdom (Saint Augustin, 1958: 154–155).
Similar Greco-Roman ideas about imitation can be easily detected
in the era of English Renaissance education. In the influential work of
Wilson (1560), The Arte of Rhetorique, the author admits the necessity of
“following the waies of wifemen”, by taking “some colour of them” (5).
Imitation is recognized as an undeniable method of learning to speak
and write eloquently, since the model of the literate man represented the
person “who could speak spontaneously, copiously and persuasively on
any subject’ (Rhodes, 1992: 43).
2.4. The Period of the Crisis
The methodic and systematic commitment of Erasmus to copious-
ness is considered to be a representative example of Tudor’s educational
trend. For Erasmus, the passionate practice of imitative exercises for the
achievement of various educational purposes focuses, especially, on stu-
dents’ moral training (Desiderius, 1978: 682–683). Unfortunately, his
effort can’t be paralleled with Plutarch’s example. By presenting both
the Lives of honest and bad men – as mimetic poles or as models to avoid
– Plutarch aimed at the formation of virtuous characters (Duff, 2002).
On the contrary, Erasmus intended to students’ ethical indoctrination
according to current Christian demands influencing in a catalytic way
the imitative pedagogy of his era. The semantic distortion of the term
imitatio is a consequence of the alteration to classical principles of its
practice by Erasmus. (Erdmann, 1993: 3, 10)
This seems to start the ongoing crisis of imitatio in pedagogy and,
especially, in the field of writing. The passage of the 18th century may be
characterized as a dark page in its history. Scholars ascribe the decline
to two main reasons. First, imitation is interpreted as a sterile and pas-
