Charles L. Griswold, Jr., is Professor of Philosophy at Boston University. He is editor of Platonic Writings/Platonic Readings (1988).
“Determined to take every part of the dialogue seriously as a
single deliberate philosophical design, Griswold analyzes 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
“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 philosophic rhetoric in the second are presented
in such a way that their limitations show.”—G.R.F. Ferrari
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 Plato’s 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
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
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