Quintilian

Quintilian, full name Marcus Fabius Quintilianus (circa 35-c. 95), Roman rhetorician, born in Calagurris (now Calahorra), Spain. He was educated in Rome, where he at first practiced law, but he was more distinguished as a teacher of rhetoric. He was appointed public professor of the subject, with his salary paid by state funds. One of his pupils was the Roman orator Pliny the Younger. After 20 years as an advocate and a teacher, he retired to concentrate on writing.

His reputation in modern times is based upon his great work in 12 books, the Institutio Oratoria (The Training of an Orator, about ad95; trans. 1921-22). In the first two books, Quintilian discusses elementary education as it was conducted in Rome in his day and considers methods of early training in rhetoric. The next nine books are devoted to the principles and techniques of oratory; most notable is Book X, which recommends reading as an important part of an orator's training and contains a celebrated survey of Greek and Latin writers. The final book presents a picture of the character and conduct of the ideal orator. The entire work shows a remarkable integrity and originality of thought expressed in a style that is lucid and dignified. The work came to have great influence upon humanist theories of education during the Renaissance.