Discusses the evolution of Burke's conception of form and explains how he combines form, substance, idea, and audience appeal into a single critical principle. Argues that his theory is important because it provides a rationale for combining language, idea, and appeal. (JMF)

Offers suggestions for using Marxist interpretations of dialectics to begin clarifying the act of rhetorical criticism. Considers three basic interpretations of the dialectic coexisting in the writings of contemporary Marxists: dialectics as a mode of thought, of description, and of discourse. (JMF)

Examines Kenneth Burke's and Friedrich Nietzsche's similar understanding of the hortatory nature of language-using, weighed against their radically differing conceptions of the negative, which allows a distinction between two genres of dramatism, and illustrates contrasting orientations toward symbolic activity in general. (SR)

Contemporary rhetorician Richard M. Weaver believes that values are inseparable from rhetoric. For him, to be a rhetorician is to direct toward good or evil and to be a rhetorical critic is to determine whether that direction is the "right one" and/or judge whether the rhetorician "is a master of his art." To determine if the…

Discusses Kenneth Burke's ideas regarding the rhetoric of form as a productive way to begin to conceptualize and analyze the rhetoric of form. Traces human forming from the level of tacit symbolic "fixing" through systematic "knowing" to the manipulating of technical forms for the purpose of evoking response. (JMF)

To show how Hugh Blair's treatise on rhetoric helped shape the patriarchal context in which women write and to suggest some considerations for modern teachers of writing, it will be useful to look at the ways 18th-century belletristic rhetoric responded to the disruption occasioned by women's entry into public discourse. Blair's work, the most…

Defines the terms "rhetorical discourse" and "knowledge" and explains the inherent relationship between the two concepts. Outlines some of the more important tenets for a systematic theory of rhetorical epistemology. (PD)

Points out that the functions of rhetoric in the classroom--synthesis, discovery, arrangement, persuasion, and memory--provide a starting point and a perspective from which to examine the epistemic claims of rhetoric. (PD)

Argues that the nondiscursiveness thesis introduces more breadth into argumentation than do any of the present alternative points of view. Maintains that all communication modalites are called into play by ordinary arguers and that the meanings of statements oftentimes cannot be understood unless attributions are made. (PD)

Examines the challenge posed by the naturalist philosophy of language--the view that the meanings of symbols are fixed by the environment. Compares the naturalist philosophy with that presented in an activist Native American essay that argues for the preservation of traditional native languages. (SRT)