The Ethical Fantasy of Rhetorical Theory (Pittsburgh Series in Composition, Literacy and Culture) - Softcover

Book 45 of 66: Composition, Literacy, and Culture

Allen, Ira

 
9780822965367: The Ethical Fantasy of Rhetorical Theory (Pittsburgh Series in Composition, Literacy and Culture)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0822965364 ISBN 13: 9780822965367
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018

Synopsis

Despite its centrality to its field, there is no consensus regarding what rhetorical theory is and why it matters. The Ethical Fantasy of Rhetorical Theory presents a critical examination of rhetorical theory throughout history, in order to develop a unifying vision for the field. Demonstrating that theorists have always been skeptical of, yet committed to "truth" (however fantastic), Ira Allen develops rigorous notions of truth and of a "troubled freedom" that spring from rhetoric’s depths. In a sweeping analysis from the sophists Aristotle, and Cicero through Kenneth Burke, Chaïm Perelman and Lucie Olbrechts-Tyceta, and contemporary scholars in English, communication, and rhetoric’s other disciplinary homes, Allen offers a novel definition of rhetorical theory: as the self-consciously ethical study of how humans and other symbolic animals negotiate constraints.

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About the Author

Ira Allen is associate professor of English and of politics and international affairs at Northern Arizona University. He is the author of two books, including The Ethical Fantasy of Rhetorical Theory.

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Publisher
University of Pittsburgh Press
Publication date
2018
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0822965364
ISBN 13 
9780822965367
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
328