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SOCRATES TELLS CHARMIDES, OR ABOUT A TYPICAL PRESENTATION OF THE DIALOGUE SITUATION IN PLATO
Nevena Panova
The paper is committed to an analysis of the dialogue situation in the early
Plato's dialogue Charmides. Of a special interest for the inquiry is the epic form of the work representing in front of the reader the essential philosophic discussion
as retelling a story. And since the "story-teller" is the main participant in
the dialogue - Socrates - we can assume that the author of the written work -
Plato - has exposed his views on the circumstances and the sense of the dialogue
communication to a large extent namely through the opportunities offered by
the story-telling techiques - in the description of the dialogue frame, at the
onset, as well as in commenting the course of the further conversation and the
participants' reactions. That is why Plato's own evaluation of such a retelling
and of the story-teller's character is searched for. It is also of interest to reveal
the shift in Socrates' roles within the framework of that dialogue - as a citizen
who came back after a fight, but also as a philosopher "enchanting" the souls of
the youth; as leading the conversation but also as retelling it later in front of an
unknown listener.
Published
Original in English
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