| In
this award-winning study of the Phaedrus, Charles Griswold
focuses on the theme of "self-knowledge." Relying on the principle
that form and content are equally important to the dialogue's meaning,
Griswold shows how the concept of self-knowledge unifies the profusion
of issues set forth by Plato. Included are a new preface and an updated
comprehensive bibliography of works on the Phaedrus.
"Determined to take every part of the dialogue seriously as a single
deliberate philosophical design, Griswold analyses each episode
in turn, with subtlety and much sensitivity. . . . This is a book
well worth reading, and a commendable effort."-Martha Nussbaum, Times Literary Supplement
"The chief virtue of the book as a whole is that it goes to the
heart of many of the central issues, both about the Phaedrus and about its author. The argument it contains is a potent mix:
alternately provoking, illuminating, and infuriating. It is to be
warmly recommended to anyone with a serious-or even playful-interest
in Plato."-Christopher J. Rowe, Washington Book Review
"A valuable addition to Plato collections."-Choice
"Griswold has a refreshing approach to the traditional interpretive
problems of this dialogue. He does not simply seek out a connection
between its two apparently disconnected halves, but finds philosophic
purpose in the very sharpness of the transition between them; and
he argues, against the prevailing view, that not only the rhetorical
and mythical speeches on love in the first half of the dialogue
but even the formal methodologies of Collection and Division and
of a philsophic rhetoric in the second are presented in such a way
that their limitations show."-G.R.F. Ferrari,The Philosophical
Review
"I highly recommend his book for those concerned with the question
of how best to live a human life and Plato's method of dealing with
it in the Phaedrus."-Jeffrey A. Mason, Philosophy and
Literature
"Griswold's reading of the Phaedrus is very attractive,
and stands up well in comparison to readings of others coming from
the same general philosophical tradition. . . . [He] has established
himself as one of the leading interpreters of Plato in the United
States today."-Anthony Preus, International Studies in Philosophy
"Self-Knowledge in Plato's Phaedrus is a comprehensive reading
of one of Platoâs most wonderful dialogues. . . . Griswold never
loses sight of the philosophical issue which he claims is the unifying
thread of the Phaedrus: self-knowledge. This book teaches its reader
how to read Plato, not simply as a ‘classic’ to be venerated,
but as a teacher to be studied."-David L. Roochnik, The Classical
Journal
"This is the most thorough and imaginative study of Plato's Phaedrus that I have seen. It is unusually stimulating and will be valuable
to classicists, philosophers, and specialists in comparative literature."-Stanley
Rosen |
