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Magister vitae, patronus causae: platonic philosophy and oratory in Apuleius' Apology

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Author(s):
Paulo Vinícius Perez Bonafina
Total Authors: 1
Document type: Master's Dissertation
Press: Campinas, SP.
Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
Defense date:
Examining board members:
Isabella Tardin Cardoso; S. J Harrison; Marcos Martinho dos Santos
Advisor: Isabella Tardin Cardoso
Abstract

The Apology is a defense speech given by Apuleius (124?-170?AD) - a roman author of the Antonine period - as a response to the accusation of having used magic to seduce his wife. In view of the fact that all the other remaining works by Apuleius are either about Platonism or allude to Plato's works indirectly, this study attempts to determine the degree to which the Apology can also be said to have been influenced by Plato's works. The first hypothesis to be explored is that Apuleius' speech was modeled after the Apology of Socrates. Besides certain formal similarities, it is specially noticeable that Apuleius creates a rhetorical persona based around the image of the philosopher persecuted by ignorant accusers. Subsequently, the use of the Platonic dialogues in Apuleius' argument are analyzed, investigating their importance regarding themes such as love, magic and religion. In the final chapter, the use and presence of ciceronian elements in the Apology are presented as a contributary factor in Apuleius’ rhetorical persona (AU)

FAPESP's process: 20/01810-0 - Magister vitae, patronus causae: Platonic philosophy and oratory in Apuleius' Apology
Grantee:Paulo Vinícius Perez Bonafina
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master