This book is designed to help teachers and students of speech, language, English, rhetoric, public address, and speech communication understand the nature of discourse and analyze communicative behavior. Chapters deal with (1) the philosophical bases for the relationships between the speech act and the rhetorical act, (2) the basic concepts of the…

Offers theoretical distinctions among the terms sacred, myth, ideology, and political myth. Analyzes representative speeches and debates on imperialism in the United States and Great Britain and contends that the distinction between the two rhetorical typologies concurrently existing in each nation account for the dominance of imperialist rhetoric…

Treats the educational video, "Miracle of Life," as exemplary of pro-life discourse broader than abortion. States that bio-medical knowledge which makes the video's rhetoric possible presumes a social order system focused on reproduction. Considers rhetoric of bodies in Western culture, anatomy lesson as a rhetorical act, and politics of…

Defends the importance for media study of a descriptive and evaluative scholarship grounded in old-humanist perspectives. Uses the television miniseries "Lonesome Dove" as a case study to argue that media texts, like literary works, can and should be evaluated according to the criteria of "formal mastery" and "intellectual coherence." (SR)

This article presents the authors' response to Harman and Sanderson (2008) who address the important question of how person-centred active support is. The authors' intention is not to disagree with Harman and Sanderson's general point that combining active support (AS) with person-centred planning (PCP) is better than either approach being…

This commentary asks some critical questions concerning the article "Management Education and the Base of the Pyramid" included in this special issue. Are "bottom of the pyramid" (BOP) multidisciplinary action project (MAP) students prepared to critically assess the impact of their interventions beyond a narrow definition of profit in complex and…

Theory-building in any field of inquiry is essential and utilitarian. This paper argues two points: that a concern for theory could redirect some of our typical approaches to rhetorical criticism; and that generic criticism must, by its nature, fully respond to this call for theory-building. Four important areas of rhetorical criticism are…

Outlines the steps to take when conducting a fantasy theme analysis. Discusses "Fantasy and Rhetorical Vision: Ten Years Later," an essay by Ernest Bormann in terms of the origins of the theory and method explained. Presents a general map of the method to enable researchers to better apply the theory. (JD)

Literary criticism must recognize its origins in common with rhetoric. Only through this recognition can (both) grow to show in a more full measure how literature functions to instruct, delight, express, and move. (Author)

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)

Argues that Machiavelli's inherent interest in pragmatic, "virtuous" applications of humanistic arts mandated both rhetorical form and matter in his composition of the "Art of War." Proposes that the work reveals Machiavelli's debt to the classically humane ideal of the warrior-orator. (JMF)

Discusses the critical paradigms that have shaped thinking about lyric poetry, dominated by the prose/lyric antithesis. Argues that these antitheses, based on Aristotle's dismissal of versification as the defining feature of poetic discourse, are unnecessary, and that the argumentative, dramatic, expressive, and prosodic motives need not be…

Noting that one of the greatest criticisms of television is the lack of television criticism itself, this paper proposes a multidimensional approach to the subject, based on current forms of criticism and theory. The 10 forms of criticism or theory discussed in the paper are (1) rhetorical criticism, (2) dramatic criticism, (3) literary criticism,…

While a critic measures a speech against a number of standards to determine its worth, a historian attempts to explain it in the context of social-institutional activity. After discussing the differences between rhetorical criticism and rhetorical history, this paper distinguishes among various types of historical explanations, illustrates each…