PRACTISING WHAT YOU PREACH: HERMOGENES AND META-DEMONSTRATION IN ON FORMS OF STYLE

Abstract

Hermogenes’ On Forms of Style became one of the most influential works of ancient rhetorical and literary theory, thanks especially to its canonical status in the Byzantine rhetorical curriculum. This article reveals a basic compositional strategy of the work. Hermogenes not only describes how each form of style is produced by a combination of stylistic features, but his discussions also constitute implicit demonstrations of the forms themselves. This phenomenon is separate from explicit examples quoted from Classical authors; it is observed in his discussion of each form; and it helps explain otherwise puzzling moments in the treatise.