The abundant style

Erasmus’ abundant style seems to prioritize the ability to vary a basic idea into any number of forms; however, before rhetorically expanding on a basic idea, one must also be aware of strategies to compress an idea into its simplest form.  This compression seems to be the most practical aspect of abundant style and can be seen today in argumentation theory.  Erasmus states that one must be competent in compression of an idea to avoid expanding an idea arbitrarily, which is the foundational purpose of argumentation models.   Whether Toulminian or pragma-dialectical, argument theory asks us to simplify an existing argument into the claims and reasons given to support those claims.  In the classroom, modeling in this way allows students to see the structure of arguments in such a way that they will hopefully recognize a variety of ways in which to expand on reasons and claims.

In my mind, Erasmus’ plethora of expansion in De Copia parallels Aristotle’s topoi.  Once an experience rhetor has identified the basic idea that we wish to communicate, he can then use his expansion skills to vary the presentation of the idea and achieve the “magnificent speech of man.”  Although one would think to consider the writings in De Copia as models to be imitated, B/H suggest that Erasmus’ models be used as evidence of a much larger point.  I find it hard to describe the abundant style in the same way that I would describe formal/informal or high/middle/low styles.  Instead, I see Erasmus’ treatise (as B/H do) as more of a philosophy similar to Aristotle’s topics. Fluency in the abundant style allows an effective rhetor to have at his disposal any number of presentation methods for the same idea.  

It’d be interesting if one could model the various modes of style for others to apply in various situations.  That seems like an ambitious task, but it might help in formalizing instruction in some small way.