A Dialogue Concerning Oratory, or the Causes of Corrupt Eloquence The Works of Cornelius Tacitus, Volume 8 (of 8); With an Essay on His Life and Genius, Notes, Supplements

"A Dialogue Concerning Oratory, or the Causes of Corrupt Eloquence" by Cornelius Tacitus is a deep conversation, taking place in ancient times, about why public speaking isn't as good as it used to be. Imagine a group of smart people, like Curiatius Maternus, Julius Secundus, and Marcus Aper, getting together to discuss why oratory has gone downhill since the old days. The main idea is all about understanding why it's harder now to be a powerful and persuasive speaker and the book debates whether poets or orators are more important to society. The story kicks off with Aper criticizing Maternus's confusing play, which starts a debate between Aper and Secundus about whether it's better to be a speaker or a poet. Aper thinks being a speaker is way better because it leads to fame and fortune, but Maternus thinks poetry is more important, even though it's risky. This soon blossoms into a study of how oratory has changed over time, looking at education, speaking style, and how society views speakers and poets of the day.