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Rhetorical Criticism: A Study In Method

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While people outside of the field will find the arguments inside this book tedious, anyone who is interested in the field of Rhetoric MUST have this book on their shelf. Black calls into question the monopoly that the Neo-Aristotelians had in rhetorical criticism in the early twentieth century, and through his arguments exposes areas which required new methods to produce understanding. Black shows the possibilities of rhetorical criticism and opens up new possibilities for the field. While the arguments and examples are dated by today's standards, Blacks book demands a response from the field that as of now hasn't been fully satisfied.

Professor Black tells us that rhetorical criticism has to do with a specialized form of critism and goes on in the first chapter to discuss the nature of the critic's role. In chapter two he talks about how rhetoric has to do with much more than spoken communication. He says that neo-Aristotelian criticism is by far the most dominant mode of rhetorical criticism presently used at the time of the book's publication.

The elements of neo-Aristotelianism include: 1) forensic, 2) deliberative, and 3) epideictic. The classifications of proof consist of: 1) logical, 2) pathetic, and 3) ethical. The assessment of the discourse includes: 1) invention, 2) arrangement, 3) delivery, 4) style, along with the evaluation of the discourse's effects on the audience.

This book offers a broad overview of rhetorical criticism. It lives up to its subtitle, i.e., it provides a study in method. It presents the historical context upon which Black adds his contribution.

In the opening section of the book he approaches his subject philosophically. He talks about he role a critic plays in analyzing and providing a framework. From this context he goes on to describe the method.

A section is devoted to rhetorical cristism and how it includes must more than the spoken word. From here he places rhetoric in a more general context.

Critics from various historical epochs are cited. He contributes his own thoughts to the issue as it is passed down from one generation to the next. This book makes some insightful points and is worthy of attention for those interested in continuing the discussion.