This article examines some ideas on reading Plato by three scholars, dating from different decades of the 20th century and setting off from various theoretical starting points, who explored an alternative possibility ...This article examines some ideas on reading Plato by three scholars, dating from different decades of the 20th century and setting off from various theoretical starting points, who explored an alternative possibility by suggesting theories that incorporate the element of＂dramatic＂ performance. According to Auguste Diès the written dialogue is a literary version of a dialectical duel actually held in the Academy between a distinguished visitor and a selected group of students. Through the so-called process of＂transposition＂, Plato transforms a real life event into an artful piece of literature recreating the original scene for educational purposes. Gilbert Ryle, on the other hand, held that the dialogues were primarily intended for dramatic recitation in public, with Plato himself delivering the words of Socrates. They were delivered orally to audiences, as a rule in the context of literary competitions, in which the other Socratics also took part. Finally, Holger Thesleff has once suggested that the （re）performance of the dialogues as an established activity in the Academy constitutes a necessary stage in the composition of new works and the revision of the old ones. In view of his conviction that Plato was the inventor of the dramatic philosophical dialogue he also seemed to have been the first one who explicitly, however cautiously, entertained the idea of theatrical presentation of Plato＇s dialogues-though he later changed his mind and fallen back to the theory of public reading.展开更多
文摘This article examines some ideas on reading Plato by three scholars, dating from different decades of the 20th century and setting off from various theoretical starting points, who explored an alternative possibility by suggesting theories that incorporate the element of＂dramatic＂ performance. According to Auguste Diès the written dialogue is a literary version of a dialectical duel actually held in the Academy between a distinguished visitor and a selected group of students. Through the so-called process of＂transposition＂, Plato transforms a real life event into an artful piece of literature recreating the original scene for educational purposes. Gilbert Ryle, on the other hand, held that the dialogues were primarily intended for dramatic recitation in public, with Plato himself delivering the words of Socrates. They were delivered orally to audiences, as a rule in the context of literary competitions, in which the other Socratics also took part. Finally, Holger Thesleff has once suggested that the （re）performance of the dialogues as an established activity in the Academy constitutes a necessary stage in the composition of new works and the revision of the old ones. In view of his conviction that Plato was the inventor of the dramatic philosophical dialogue he also seemed to have been the first one who explicitly, however cautiously, entertained the idea of theatrical presentation of Plato＇s dialogues-though he later changed his mind and fallen back to the theory of public reading.
