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History and Theory of Rhetoric, The: An Introduction, 3/E
James A. Herrick, Hope College

ISBN-10: 0205414923
ISBN-13: 9780205414925

Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
Copyright: 2005
Format: Paper; 320 pp
Published: 04/30/2004

Suggested retail price: $84.40
Not available for purchase at this time.

The History and Theory of Rhetoric  offers an accessible discussion of the history of rhetorical studies in the Western tradition, from ancient Greece to contemporary American and European theorists.

By tracing the historical progression of rhetoric from the Greek Sophists of the 5th Century B.C. to contemporary studies—such as the rhetoric of science and feminist rhetoric—this concise yet comprehensive text helps students better understand what rhetoric is and what unites differing rhetorical theories throughout history. Student-friendly, The History and Theory of Rhetoric uses contemporary examples throughout and emphasizes the relevance of rhetoric to today's students.

  • Makes the case for the importance of rhetoric as a social phenomenon and for the importance of studying rhetoric by reviewing the specific social functions of rhetoric, such as assisting advocacy and building community.
  • Provides continuity to the discussion of rhetorical history by carrying such themes as rhetoric's relationship to truth and power throughout the text.
  • Includes coverage of developments in contemporary rhetorical theory (Chs. 9-11), giving students a sense of the scope of rhetorical scholarship in the 21st Century.
  • Explores recurring themes in the history of rhetoric, such as its relationship to power, community building, ethics, knowledge, truth, and educational theory and practice.
  • Incorporates recent rhetorical research into the discussion of all topics to provide students with the most up-to-date scholarship.
  • Includes a section on the study of comparative rhetoric, which considers rhetorical developments in non-Western cultures, to broaden students' understanding of the field.
  • Acknowledges criticisms of some of the theorists covered, providing a more well-rounded view of their work.

  • Integrates updated, contemporary examples throughout, inviting students to view the history of rhetoric as relevant to their own lives.
  • Includes extensive updates on contemporary rhetoric and a more contemporary treatment of the ancient sophists, so that it reflects changes in the field of rhetoric and recent research.
  • Offers broader coverage of several prominent, recent theorists, including Kenneth Burke and Mikhail Bakhtin.
  • Devotes greater attention to women's contributions throughout several periods of rhetorical history, uncovering for students an often hidden or suppressed area of study in the field as well as introducing them to new women writers.

All chapters conclude with “Conclusion,” “Questions for Review, ” “Questions for Discussion,” and “Terms.”

1. An Overview of Rhetoric.

Rhetoric and Persuasion.

Defining Rhetoric.

Rhetorical Discourse.

Social Functions of the Art of Rhetoric.



2. The Origins and Early History of Rhetoric.

The Rise of Rhetoric in Ancient Greece.

The Sophists.

Two Influential Sophists.

Aspasia's Role in Athenian Rhetoric.



3. Plato vs. the Sophists: Rhetoric on Trial.

Plato's Gorgias: Rhetoric on Trial.

Rhetoric in Plato's Phaedrus: A True Art?



4. Aristotle on Rhetoric.

Aristotle's Definitions of Rhetoric.

Three Rhetorical Settings.

The Artistic Proofs.

The Topoi or Lines of Argument.

Aristotle on Style.



5. Rhetoric at Rome.

Roman Society and the Place of Rhetoric.

The Rhetorical Theory of Cicero.

Quintilian.

Longinus: On the Sublime.

Rhetoric in the Later Roman Empire.



6. Rhetoric in Christian Europe.

Rhetoric, Tension, and Fragmentation.

Rhetoric and the Medieval Curriculum.

Rhetoric in the Early Middle Ages: Augustine, Capella, and Boethius.

St. Augustine.

Martianus Capella.

Boethius.

Three Rhetorical Arts in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries.

The Art of Preaching.

The Art of Letter Writing.

The Art of Poetry.



7. Rhetoric in the Renaissance.

Features of Renaissance Rhetoric.

Lorenzo Valla: Retrieving the Rhetorical Tradition.

Women and Renaissance Rhetoric.

Italian Humanism: A Catalyst for Rhetoric's Expansion.

Rhetoric as Personal and Political Influence.

Humanism, Rhetoric, and the Study of Classical Texts.

Petrarch and the Origins of Italian Humanism.

Pico della Mirandola and the Magic of Language.

Juan Luis Vives.

Rhetoric and the Vita Activa.

Madame de Scudery

The Turn toward Dialectic: Rhetoric and Its Critics.

Renaissance Rhetorics in Britain.



8. Enlightenment Rhetorics.

Vico on Rhetoric and Human Thought.

British Rhetorics in the Eighteenth Century.

The Elocutionary Movement.

The Scottish School

Richard Whately's Classical Rhetoric.



9. Contemporary Rhetoric I: Argument, Audiences, and Advocacy.

Argumentation and Rational Discourse.

Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca: A New Rhetoric.

Stephen Toulmin and the Uses of Argument.

Argumentation and Scientific Inquiry.

Deirdre McCloskey and the Rhetoric of Economics.

Clifford Geertz and Rhetoric in Anthropology.

Michael Billig and the Rhetoric of Social Psychology.

John Campbell on the Rhetoric of Charles Darwin.

Criticisms of the Rhetoric of Science



10. Contemporary Rhetoric II: As Equipment for Living.

Rhetoric in Its Social Context: The Dramatic and Situational Views.

Kenneth Burke and Rhetoric as Symbolic Action.

Lloyd Bitzer and Rhetoric as Situational.

Rhetoric as Narration.

Mikhail Bakhtin and the Polyphonic Novel.

Wayne Booth and the Rhetoric of Fiction.

Jurgen Habermas and the Conditions of Rational Discourse



11. Contemporary Rhetoric III: Texts, Power, and Alternatives.

Postmodernism.

Michael Foucault: Discourse, Knowledge, and Power.

Jacques Derrida: Texts, Meanings, and Deconstruction.

Richard Weaver: Rhetoric and the Preservation of Culture.

Feminism and Rhetoric: Critique and Reform in Rhetoric.

George Kennedy and Comparative Rhetoric.

    The History and Theory of Rhetoric offers an accessible discussion of the history of rhetorical studies in the Western tradition, from ancient Greece to contemporary American and European theorists.

    By tracing the historical progression of rhetoric from the Greek Sophists of the 5th Century B.C. to contemporary studies–such as the rhetoric of science and feminist rhetoric–this comprehensive text helps students understand how persuasive public discourse performs essential social functions and shapes our daily worlds. With a highly accessible writing style and contemporary examples throughout, The History and Theory of Rhetoric emphasizes the relevance of rhetoric to today's students.

  • 0205566731The History and Theory of Rhetoric, 4/E
    Herrick
    © 2009 | Allyn & Bacon | Paper; 320 pages | Instock
    ISBN-10: 0205566731 | ISBN-13: 9780205566730
    Brief Description | Buy from myPearsonStore

The History and Theory of Rhetoric offers an accessible discussion of the history of rhetorical studies in the Western tradition, from ancient Greece to contemporary American and European theorists. By tracing the historical progression of rhetoric from the Greek Sophists of the 5th Century B.C. to contemporary studies—such as the rhetoric of science and feminist rhetoric—this concise yet comprehensive text helps students better understand what rhetoric is and what unites differing rhetorical theories throughout history. Student-friendly, The History and Theory of Rhetoric uses contemporary examples throughout and emphasizes the relevance of rhetoric to today's students.

New to This Edition

  • Integrates updated, contemporary examples throughout, inviting students to view the history of rhetoric as relevant to their own lives.
  • Devotes greater attention to women's contributions throughout several periods of rhetorical history, uncovering for students an often hidden or suppressed area of study in the field as well as introducing them to new women writers.
  • Includes extensive updates on contemporary rhetoric and a more contemporary treatment of the ancient sophists, so that it reflects changes in the field of rhetoric and recent research.

About the Author

James Herrick is the Guy Vander Jagt Professor of Communication at Hope College, where he has taught for twenty years. He has served on numerous committees at Hope College and was the Communication Department chair for ten years. Professor Herrick is a member of several editorial boards, including that of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration. His writings include five books and countless articles and professional papers. Professor Herrick has received many grants and awards from both national institutions and Hope College; in 2003, he was a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar participant, presenting a paper at University of California, Berkeley.

View a Sample Chapter PDF:

  • Instructor's Manual (Download Only), 3/E
    Herrick
    © 2005 | Allyn & Bacon | On-line Supplement; 96 pages | Estimated Availability: 01/01/0001
    ISBN-10: 0205418554 | ISBN-13: 9780205418558

    Instructor's Manual (Download Only), 3/E
    Herrick
    © 2005 | Allyn & Bacon | On-line Supplement;96 pages | Estimated Availability: 01/01/0001
    ISBN-10: 0205418554 | ISBN-13: 9780205418558

    Downloadable files:

    • PDF Version (.pdf) (.4 MB | .pdf file | Type: Presentations)
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