3.21. The Art of Narration
We may now pass from the subject of calumny to that of Narration.
Narration in ceremonial oratory is not continuous but intermittent. There must, of course, be some survey of the actions that form the subject-matter of the speech. The speech is a composition containing two parts. One of these is not provided by the orator’s art, viz. the actions themselves, of which the orator is in no sense author. The other part is provided by his art, namely, the proof (where proof is needed) that the actions were done, the description of their quality or of their extent, or even all these three things together.
Now the reason why sometimes it is not desirable to make the whole narrative continuous is that the case thus expounded is hard to keep in mind. Show, therefore, from one set of facts that your hero is brave, for example, and from other sets of facts that he is able, just, etc. A speech thus arranged is comparatively simple, instead of being complicated and elaborate. You will have to recall well-known deeds among others, and because they are well-known, the hearer usually needs no narration of them. None, for instance, if your object is the praise of Achilles; we all know the facts of his life. What you have to do is to apply those facts. But if your object is the praise of Critias, you must narrate his deeds, which not many people know of.
Nowadays it is said, absurdly enough, that the narration should be rapid. Remember what the man said to the baker who asked whether he was to make the cake hard or soft: “What, can’t you make it right?” Just so here. We are not to make long narrations, just as we are not to make long introductions or long arguments. Here, again, rightness does not consist either in rapidity or in conciseness, but in the happy mean; that is, in saying just so much as will make the facts plain, or will lead the hearer to believe that the thing has happened, or that the man has caused injury or wrong to someone, or that the facts are really as important as you wish them to be thought, or the opposite facts to establish the opposite arguments.
You may also narrate as you go anything that does credit to yourself, e.g. “I kept telling him to do his duty and not abandon his children,” or discredit to your adversary, e.g. “But he answered me that, wherever he might find himself, there he would find other children”, the answer Herodotus records of the Egyptian mutineers. Slip in anything else that the judges will enjoy.
The defendant will make less of the narration. He has to maintain that the thing has not happened, or did no harm, or was not unjust, or not so bad as is alleged. He must therefore not waste time about what is admitted fact, unless this bears on his own contention; e.g. that the thing was done, but was not wrong. Further, we must speak of events as past and gone, except where they excite pity or indignation by being represented as present. The story told to Alcinous is an example of a brief chronicle, when it is repeated to Penelope in sixty lines. Another instance is the Epic Cycle as treated by Phayllus, and the prologue to the Oeneus.
To obtain a deluxe leatherbound edition of METAPHYSICS by Aristotle, subscribe to Castalia Library.
For questions about subscription status and billings: subs@castalialibrary.com
For questions about shipping and missing books: castaliashipping@gmail.com
You can now follow Castalia Library on Instagram as well.
