Epicure and distance learning
Education implies that a student learns when the teacher teaches : if there is not learning, it would be absurd to think that teaching has occured. However, in the case of distance learning, it is sometimes difficult to ensure the participation of the student, particularly when there is a time gap between teaching and learning. Under these circumstances, using certain narrative or stylistic devices prone to solicit the reader may bring the latter to actively take part in the course she is reading). The dialogue is one of the literary devices that improves the reader’s cognitive activity, because she then identifies either with the respondant or with a silent witness. Epistolarity has a similar effect because it evokes a dialogue. This paper studies the literary devices used in Epicure’s letters along with recent research on distance learning, to highlight their didactical purposes.