Rhetoric: An Historical Introduction

This introduction to the art of rhetoric argues that knowledge of rhetoric improves deliberation about particular issues and problems. By mastering rhetorical concepts and modes of argument, readers can address the sometimes turbulent circumstances in their own lives, times, and fields of study. But because rhetoric speaks to the demands of the moment, it must be practiced with an understanding of its historical context. The author provides an intellectual frame for understanding the history and conceptual foundations of rhetoric and gives a strong sense of the ways classic rhetorical texts continue to influence us by providing contexts and resources for contemporary debates. The texts, which range from Aristotle’s Rhetoric to Edward H. Levi’s An Introduction to Legal Reasoning and Danielle S. Allen’s Talking to Strangers serve simultaneously as models of persuasion and as thoughtful considerations of how rhetoric works. Earlier texts serve as contexts for later ones.

Acknowledgments. List of Abbreviations. Introducting Rhetoric. Part I: Classical Rhetorical Traditions. Introduction. 1 The Rhetorician: Demagogue or Statesman? Plato′s Gorgias and Aristotle′s Rhetoric. 2 Eloquence, Persuasion, and Invention: Cicero′s De oratore. 3 Rhetoric and the Search for God: Augustine′s On Christian Doctrine and Confessions. 4 Practical Reason or Interested Calculation? Cicero′s On Duties and Machiavelli′s The Prince. Part II: Classical Rhetoric and Literary Interpretation. Introduction. 5 Tradition and Invention: Bacon′s Aphorisms and the Essays. 6 Deception, Strong Speech, and Mild Discourse in Milton′s Early Prose and Paradise Lost. 7 Prudence and Eloquence in Jane Austen′s Persuasion. Part III: Rhetoric and Contemporary Disciplines. Introduction. 8 Literary Criticism and Rhetorical Invention: Wayne C. Booth′s The Rhetoric of Fiction and Stephen Greenblatt′s Marvelous Possessions. 9 Faction Politics and Rhetorical Invention: Eugene Garver′s For the Sake of Argument and Danielle S. Allen′s Talking to Strangers. 10 Legal Reasoning, Historical Contingency, and Change: Edward H. Levi′s An Introduction to Legal Reasoning. Index.

Wendy Olmsted is Associate Professor in the New Collegiate Division and in the Humanities Division at the University of Chicago as well as Associated Faculty Member in the Department of Classics (PAMW). Her previous publications include A Companion to Rhetoric and Rhetorical Criticism, co–edited with Walter Jost (Blackwell Publishing, 2004) and Rhetorical Invention and Religious Inquiry , co–edited with Walter Jost (Yale University Press, 2000).

“This is not only a useful introduction to the history of rhetoric, it is also an important contribution to contemporary legal and political theory.” ( Philosophy In Review )