Demosthenes, transparency + transcendence

Demetrius, the Phalerian, tells us that he was informed by Demosthenes himself, now grown old, that the ways he made use of to remedy his natural bodily infirmities and defects were such as these; his inarticulate and stammering pronunciation he overcame and rendered more distinct by speaking with pebbles in his mouth; his voice he disciplined by declaiming and reciting speeches or verses when he was out of breath, while running or going up steep places; and that in his house he had a large looking-glass, before which he would stand and go through his exercises.  —Demosthenes, by Plutarch


Perhaps there are two ways to think of performing through an obstruction. One approach is transcendent. We transcend the limitations of a medium with our virtuosity. Like spectacular visual effects, photographs that look like paintings, and Michael Jackson. In the other approach, there is no transcendence. We struggle with tools to produce form that never becomes transparent and still maintains its ragged edge. Contemporary theorists would likely think of this as a worn-out cipher for authenticity, the honesty of materials and modernity.

Maybe we can look at Demosthenes in two ways. In the received view, Demosthenes learned to transcend his speech impediment by filling his mouth with stones. But perhaps the "distinct" speech he learned didn't refer to a clarity of pronunciation, but a clarity of expression. Perhaps he didn't overcome his stammering but learned to use it for rhetorical effect.