Twentieth-Century Roots of Rhetorical Studies

(Hardback)

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Kuypers, King, and their contributors explore the conception of rhetoric of eleven key American rhetoricians through analyses of their life's work. Each chapter provides a sense of that scholar's conception of rhetoric, be it through criticism, theory, or teaching. The communication discipline often highlights the work of others outside the discipline; however, it rarely acclaims the work of its own critics, teachers, and theorists. In this collection, the essays explore the innate mode of perception that guided the rhetorical understanding of the early critics. In so doing, this work dispels the myth that the discipline of Speech Communication was spawned from a monolithic and rigid center that came to be called neo-Aristotelianism. Scholars and researchers involved with the history of rhetoric, rhetorical criticism and theory, and American public address uill find this title to be a necessary addition to their collection.

Reviews

"At a time when some people are asking where rhetoric is going, it is most appropriate for us to pause for a moment and see where it has been. Twentieth-Century Roots of Rhetorical Studies permits us to do just that. This superbly written work reminds us that few people can write as well as professional rhetoricians. It also reminds us what those who came before them contributed to our understanding of human communication over the past century. This effort provides wonderful memories for those of us who are older, and critical insights for those who are younger rhetorical scholars. A must read for anyone who is interested in rhetorical studies."-James C. McCroskey Professor, Department of Communication Studies West Virginia University
"King and Kuypers have brought together a volume dedicated to reclaiming a usable past and countering the belief that the world began in the middle of the 1960s.' In doing so they have created a volume characterized by clear--even eloquent--style, keen wit, pointed and forceful argument, and clear and penetrating conclusion. A masterful antidote to amnesia and myth, these essays will undoubtedly elicit controversy, the kind of controversy that is avoided at our intellectual peril. This is an important book that should be read by all those who are, or aspire to be, rhetorical scholars,"-James R. Andrews Professor of Communication and Culture Indiana University
"Kuypers and King have assembled an important volume of essays exploring the intellectual heritage of rhetorical studies in the United States. This is no casual walk down memory lane. The editors aim to rescue the tradition from politically inspired criticisms that are "grossly over simplified" or "crudely false," and the essays illuminate a variety of alternatives to the nihilistic aimlessness of so much of what passes for rhetorical scholarship today. This book should be required reading for every graduate student in rhetorical studies."-J. Michael Hogan Professor, Department of Speech Communication The Pennsylvania State University
A valuable book for gradute courses in rhetorical theory. Solid documentation; useful index; includes photographs.-Choice
Students, teachers, and scholars of rhetorical studies will want to read this book.-Quarterly Journal of Speech
Twentieth-Century Roots of Rhetorical Studies joins a small number of books that document this intellectual past, a past that rhetoricians in all departments ought to appreciate. Its essays-clear and concise without being merely workmanlike-provide a convincing case for reading these important but now understudied speech communications scholars.-Rhetoric Review
"A valuable book for gradute courses in rhetorical theory. Solid documentation; useful index; includes photographs."-Choice
"Students, teachers, and scholars of rhetorical studies will want to read this book."-Quarterly Journal of Speech
"Twentieth-Century Roots of Rhetorical Studies joins a small number of books that document this intellectual past, a past that rhetoricians in all departments ought to appreciate. Its essays-clear and concise without being merely workmanlike-provide a convincing case for reading these important but now understudied speech communications scholars."-Rhetoric Review

Author Bio

JIM A. KUYPERS is Senior Lecturer and Director of the Office of Speech at Dartmouth College. He has authored Presidential Crisis Rhetoric and the Press in a Post-Cold War World (Praeger, 1997) and Media Manipulation of Controversial Issues (forthcoming). He is a former co-editor for the American Communication Journal. His research interests include political communication, meta-criticism, and the moral/poetic use of language. ANDREW KING is Professor and Chair of the Department of Speech Communication at Louisiana State University. He is the author of Postmodern Political Communication and Power and Communication. He is the former editor of the Quarterly Journal of Speech and the Southern Communication Journal. Professor King's academic interests lie in the areas of communication and power, and medieval and Renaissance rhetorical theory.