Love, Rhetoric, and Pedagogy: Decoding Alciphron’s Epistolary Art in the Letters of Courtesans

The Letters of Courtesans forms the fourth book of Alciphron’s epistolary collection (second or third century AD). Despite being written during the Imperial period, these love letters intriguingly transport their readers to fictional portrayals of life in prostitution from the Classical and Hellenistic eras. This study examines a double pedagogical perspective of the Letters of Courtesans, as both erotic and rhetorical discourses, focusing on the form of love letters and the role of hetairai (interpreted as courtesans or as sexual companions). The analysis examines how these letters are influenced by sophisticated rhetorical exercises (progymnasmata), including synkrisis and ethopoiia. Through the fictional voices of hetairai such as Thaïs (Alc. 4.7), Lamia (Alc. 4.16), and Glykera (Alc. 4.19), the paper explores how Alciphron adapts the flexible epistolary form to portray hetairai not merely as manipulators of their lovers but also as educators, highlighting their agency in utilizing their seductive power through the art of rhetoric. Ultimately, the Letters of Courtesans offers a rich tapestry for understanding the complex interplay between love, rhetoric, and pedagogy in ancient Greek fictional epistolography.