Surveys previous research on the rhetorical nature of parables and presents a revised view of their function as metaphors and examples. (PD)

Establishes that narrative theorists of the Hellenistic period described the ill-defined technique of architectonic parallelism by way of its absence, criticizing less elaborated works as unfinished and half-finished. Offers two narrative complexes from the "Gospel of Mark" as case examples of his assumptions of audience awareness as a…

Uses Mikhail Bakhtin's concept of heteroglossia (the dialectal voices present in language) to describe the narrative discourse in Flannery O'Connor's novel "Wise Blood," and to explore the rhetorical effects of the novel and the values embodied in its language. (SR)

Develops an approach to rhetorical criticism by integrating the work of Marxist literary critic Frederic Jameson with that of the depth psychologist C. G. Jung. Reconceptualizes the cultural psyche as composed of historical and universal elements, redefines the rhetorical and moral functions of narrative texts, and casts the rhetorical critic as…

Analyzes the way a specific narrative text (Lawrence Kasdan's 1983 feature film "The Big Chill") confronts the relationship between communal norms and political possibilities. Shows how the film enacts a complex disjunctive narrative argument endorsing a specific form of communal affiliation (what Hannah Arendt refers to as…

Discusses metafiction (contemporary fiction) and the new relationship between subject and reader that challenges traditional practice of point of view in fiction. Suggests ways for the interpreter to deal with the performance of metafiction. (JMF)

Analyzes parables--teaching stories--to explore the significance of these rhetorical devices as forms of discourse and as acts of relational communication. (PD)

Explores the narrative construction of Israeli symbolism by tracing the tellings and retellings of the story of the 1936-39 settlement operation known as "Tower and Stockade." Highlights the dialogical process in which such high profile, multivocal national narratives participate and considers the rhetorical role they play in the larger…

Examines the "Evagoras" from the perspective of contemporary narrative theory, inquiring into internal adjustments that the encomium underwent as epideitic rhetoric sought to play a role in state affairs. Claims uniqueness for the narrative structure of Isocrates's encomium: a combination of fictional narrative (quest for virtue) with…

This essay examines Jefferson's Summary View of the Rights of British America as evidence of his craft as a storyteller. Specifically, I argue that Jefferson deploys a series of narrative renderings, the rhetorical effect of which is to eliminate the possibility of any genuine reconciliation with the English government. On the basis of this…

Discusses the dominance of the narrative form in President Reagan's rhetoric and how his use of narrative form--characterized by a story-based truth, an emphasis on morality, and a grounding in common sense--affects political judgment, differentiating the perspective of his supporters and his opponents. Considers the power and limitations of…