| ID | 092139 |
| Title Proper | Socratic narrative |
| Other Title Information | a democratic reading of Plato's dialogues |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Saxonhouse, Arlene W |
| Publication | 2009. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Plato wrote dialogues. While there has been attention to the dramatic elements of Plato's dialogues by a number of scholars, there has been much less attention to the narrative style of the dialogues. I argue that we should consider whether the dialogues are recited or presented like dramatic works with each character speaking his own words-or as a mixture of these narrative forms. By employing this interpretive tool to read the Republic, I illustrate how paying attention to the narrative style enables us to see a democratic Socrates who undermines readings of the Republic famously offered by Karl Popper and Leo Strauss. Plato appears then as neither a defender of the "closed society" nor an advocate of the elite rule of the wise over the many. |
| `In' analytical Note | Political Theory Vol. 37, No. 6; Dec 2009: p.728-753 |
| Journal Source | Political Theory Vol. 37, No. 6; Dec 2009: p.728-753 |
| Key Words | Plato ; Republic ; Socrates ; Narrative |