This article excavates how style in writing was represented and taught in the under-investigated mid-twentieth century. I trace four editions of the textbook "Modern Rhetoric" (1949-1979), authored by Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren; I detail how the book was surprisingly innovative for the time, despite its eventual re-entrenchment to a…

This article explores policy development for under-fives and its implementation in nursery schools in the first two decades of the twentieth century and draws parallels with current policy initiatives such as Sure Start and the "Troubled Families" programme. It interrogates how discourse on British racial health shaped policy and…

In the last 15 years, writing center scholars have increasingly called for more evidence to validate writing centers' practices. Work by Paula Gillespie (2002), Neal Lerner (2009), and Isabelle Thompson et al. (2009) underscore this need. Missing from these discussions, however, is a thorough understanding of the past and current research…

This essay provides an account of The Ohio State University's (OSU) rhetoric department during the tenure of Joseph Villiers Denney, arguing that he appropriated and repurposed national trends in education and rhetoric in ways that complicate the narrative of rhetoric and composition's decline in the late nineteenth century. In this essay, the…

Examines the roots of the modern language arts curriculum in Canada. Claims it is based on nineteenth-century interdependence of studies in rhetoric, history of the English language, and literature. And asserts that this curriculum was designed to develop rhetorical and critical sophistication. (JK)

Argues that Richard Whately was a significant force in shaping the model for teaching writing that has been dominant in the last 90 years. (Author/RL)

Relates the ideas and contributions of a nineteenth century teacher and college president to the history of the field of rhetoric. (JL)

Argues that certain "ancient" writing practices can help attain the objective of making writing instruction truly democratic. Outlines key features in the discredited "old history" of composition to adduce ways of helping students think, feel, and write in heterogeneous ways. (HB)

Discusses ethos on a broader level than Aristotelian rhetoric generally does. Presents data from a case study of the outrageous ethos of a group of generative linguists on the cusp of the sixties and seventies. Considers the issues relevant to communal ethos as debated by this group of researchers. (HB)

Describes the combination of circumstances--cultural, political, and educational--in mid-eighteenth century Edinburgh, Scotland, which led to the formation of the Regius Chair of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres. Claims this development reflects the social situation rather than a preconceived design for either the discipline of rhetoric or literature.…

An examination of nineteenth century rhetoric is presented in this publication. The first chapter analyzes three rhetorical systems of the nineteenth century: classical, psychological-epistemological, and romantic. The second chapter discusses the demise of the classical tradition, while the third chapter, "The Triumph of Eighteenth-Century…

Contrasts two conferences that occurred in the 1960s: one considered significant by historians of composition studies, the other recognized as important in the development of poststructuralism. Argues that theoretical currents associated with the conferences can usefully critique each other. Proposes a variation on the new advocacy of…

Explores the varieties of writing instruction and rhetoric available to women of the early national period in the United States, specifically as manifested in works of didactic fiction. Analyzes Hannah Webster Foster's 1797 novel "The Boarding School" to understand the educational sources available to early American women. (HB)

Considers how the history of rhetoric is taught currently and has been taught in the past. Provides data from surveys of historians in rhetoric and composition concerning their methods. Describes how the history of rhetoric is taught at the University of Arizona. Shows how rhetoric can be taught as a social praxis. (HB)

Describes the achievement of the female rhetorical Aspasia, who despite being marginalized made significant intellectual contributions to classical rhetoric. Shows how women have been routinely effaced in most views of rhetoric. Provides a reconsideration of the history of rhetoric in view of women's accomplishments. (HB)