In the vast corpus of ancient Egyptian wisdom literature (or to use a more emic denomination, sebayt, ‘Teachings’), one prevailing theme is the codification of linguistic behaviour, elevated, pars pro toto, as a paradigm for the entire spectrum of social conduct. The importance of pursuing ‘perfect speech’, considered ‘more difficult than any craft’, and the firm condemnation of any misuse of discourse – mendacity, hypocrisy, slander, shouting, indiscretion, verbosity – are framed within a culturally specific belief in the performative power of the spoken word. As a theme, rather than genre-oriented discussion, this chapter aims to outline an ‘ethic of the voice’, as presented in Egyptian parenetic literature and in the moral autobiographies of the élites. The two genres engage in a continuously reactivated dialogue on the cultural norms and the nuances of language, threading between ancestral advice and posterity, between prescription and realisation. In a complex network involving hearing, quietness, speaking, and acting, the cooperative principles of discourse and silence delineate a socially constructed space, where ‘perfect speech’, in addition to a refined art of rhetorics, also signifies ‘good speech’, a ‘solidal discourse’ seen as the fundamental cohesive force of the community.

Discourses on ethics and ethics of discourse in ancient Egyptian wisdom literature / Cariddi, Ilaria. - STAMPA. - (2024), pp. 34-62. [10.4324/9781003485094-3]

Discourses on ethics and ethics of discourse in ancient Egyptian wisdom literature

Cariddi, Ilaria
2024

Abstract

In the vast corpus of ancient Egyptian wisdom literature (or to use a more emic denomination, sebayt, ‘Teachings’), one prevailing theme is the codification of linguistic behaviour, elevated, pars pro toto, as a paradigm for the entire spectrum of social conduct. The importance of pursuing ‘perfect speech’, considered ‘more difficult than any craft’, and the firm condemnation of any misuse of discourse – mendacity, hypocrisy, slander, shouting, indiscretion, verbosity – are framed within a culturally specific belief in the performative power of the spoken word. As a theme, rather than genre-oriented discussion, this chapter aims to outline an ‘ethic of the voice’, as presented in Egyptian parenetic literature and in the moral autobiographies of the élites. The two genres engage in a continuously reactivated dialogue on the cultural norms and the nuances of language, threading between ancestral advice and posterity, between prescription and realisation. In a complex network involving hearing, quietness, speaking, and acting, the cooperative principles of discourse and silence delineate a socially constructed space, where ‘perfect speech’, in addition to a refined art of rhetorics, also signifies ‘good speech’, a ‘solidal discourse’ seen as the fundamental cohesive force of the community.
2024
9781003485094
Wisdom Discourse in the Ancient World
34
62
Cariddi, Ilaria
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Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/1408253
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