The Rhetoric of RHETORIC: The Quest for Effective Communication (Blackwell Manifestos) [Paperback]

Wayne C. Booth (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1405112379 | ISBN-13: 978-1405112376 | Publication Date: November 8, 2004 | Edition: 1

In this manifesto, distinguished critic Wayne Booth claims that communication in every corner of life can be improved if we study rhetoric closely.

• Written by Wayne Booth, author of the seminal book, The Rhetoric of Fiction (1961).


• Explores the consequences of bad rhetoric in education, in politics, and in the media.


• Investigates the possibility of reducing harmful conflict by practising a rhetoric that depends on deep listening by both sides.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In The Rhetoric of RHETORIC Wayne C. Booth passionately and persuasively demonstrates the centrality of rhetoric to human inquiry and human interaction. Taking Booth’s manifesto seriously -- responding to it in the spirit of what he calls ‘listening rhetoric’ -- can improve the quality of our thought, our interactions, and, thus, our lives." James Phelan, Ohio State University

Book Description

The Rhetoric Of Rhetoric is a manifesto addressed to a broad audience, dramatizing the importance of rhetorical studies and lamenting their widespread neglect. Distinguished critic Wayne Booth claims that communication in every corner of life can be improved if only we study rhetoric more closely. Booth explores the consequences of bad rhetoric in education, in politics, and in the media. A final chapter investigates the possibility of reducing harmful conflict by practising a rhetoric that depends on deep listening by both sides. The key example used is the warfare between science and religion.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (November 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405112379
• ISBN-13: 978-1405112376
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,109 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wayne C. Booth is the George Pullman Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago. His many books include The Rhetoric of Fiction and For the Love of It: Amateuring and its Rivals, both published by the University of Chicago Press.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are You Talking to Me? Are You Talking to Me?, June 17, 2006

By 

Poison Ivy (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rhetoric of RHETORIC: The Quest for Effective Communication (Blackwell Manifestos) (Paperback)

This is the first book I've read by Wayne Booth, and it makes me want to read all of his other well-known and oft-quoted works. I am not a fan of literary criticism, since it is generally poorly written and about as interesting and well-produced as cheap sausage, but The Rhetoric of Rhetoric is the real thing. I actually *enjoyed* reading it -- a page-turner. I learned a great deal about the history and meaning of rhetoric, which I wish I'd known before. But this isn't simply history (though that in itself is worth the book): I was buoyed by his idea of "listening rhetoric" in a world that has become trapped in the futile and belligerent cycle of "win rhetoric," particularly, as he notes, in a global/cyberculture where the whole world is listening--sort of. He is right to note that this global net culture has eliminated the niche audience: no more speaking exclusively to the choir (or at least not without global eavesdroppers).

Buy this book and then, let's talk: I promise to listen.

4.0 out of 5 stars Rhetoric for the Rhetoric of Rhetoric, November 23, 2009

By 

Stephen Loftus (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rhetoric of RHETORIC: The Quest for Effective Communication (Blackwell Manifestos) (Kindle Edition)

Wayne Booth's book is readable and he argues a strong case for the revival of the study of rhetoric. Booth goes one step further and argues for what can be called dialogical rhetoric. This is where parties to a discussion truly engage with each other in an attempt to understand where the other party is coming from, rather than simply trying to conquer all opposition. Booth's so-called 'Listening Rhetoric' has much in common with Hans-Georg Gadamer's notion of the fusion of horizons where different parties seek deeper understanding of each other, and through this can come to a deeper understanding of their own position. Anyone looking for a primer in rhetoric should look elsewhere as Booth's book provides only an overview of the field. He is more concerned to raise awareness and arouse interest in a subject that has been sadly neglected for too long. Rhetoric needs to be rehabilitated and Booth's book goes some way to achieving this.

8 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A guidebook by minent grise Wayne C. Booth, April 11, 2006

By 

David Theelen - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rhetoric of RHETORIC: The Quest for Effective Communication (Blackwell Manifestos) (Paperback)

The latest work by Wayne C. Booth, distinguished critic and author of the seminal book, The Rhetoric of Fiction (1961), claims to be nothing less than a manifesto. The book is addressed to a broad audience and dramatizes the importance of rhetorical studies. In it Booth asserts that communication in every corner of live as well as complex conflict situations can be improved by the study of rhetoric. The book opens with the characteristic problem of the study of rhetoric: the issue of its definition and its inevitable misinterpretations. But whereas conventional contemporary rhetorical study often limit the relevance of this study to insight in the disseminating work of language, Booth becomes somewhat of an optimist. Booth develops a pragmatic idea of rhetoric as a means for, surprisingly, `better' communications. He investigates the possibility of reducing harmful conflict by practising a rhetoric that depends on deep listening by both sides. This makes the book both a compelling read in its relevance for current affairs (politics, media and education), and a small but noticeable leap away from theoretical occupations. The latter shows however that the book's insights depend on an internal contradiction - can rhetoric find positive appreciation outside of theoretic circles -, a conflict that the book itself cannot solve; it needs a benevolent reader to do this.