Customer Reviews

The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This vitally important anthology has little if any competition, which is unfortunate, as it has been far too sloppily done. This is particularly noticeable, to me at least, in the classical section. Even the English is full of often seriously misleading misprints; and the occasional inclusion of Greek words almost invariably betrays great ignorance of that language and its alphabet, on the part of the editorial team.

Translator's explanatory footnotes are in many cases imported raw from the bilingual Loeb Classical Library edition in which the translation originally appeared, but the system these notes use for specifying other loci within the same work is in too many cases not supported in the printing of the translated text itself. Thus if a note cross-references a locus that happens to be included in the anthology, it still cannot be followed. In Plato, for instance, such cross references are given in the notes in standard Stephanine form, but the translated dialogues have been here reprinted without any Stephanine markings whatsoever.

Other selections are reproduced without even the most vital of translator's notes, as that in Kennedy's translation of Gorgias' "Encomium of Helen," which indicates that part of one section is translated not from the actual Greek text, which is hopelessly corrupt at that point, but rather from a conjectural reconstruction.

Given the void this anthology filled, such problems were perhaps forgivable in the first edition; but why they were suffered to remain uncorrected in a second edition a decade later is inexplicable.

The texts are well chosen, though perhaps less well edited. It's great to have Plato, Erasmus, Derrida, and Cixous all together, but I think the book could have been more carefully done. I think there's much in the selection from Aristotle that could have been cut, and much from Quintillian that should have been included (material from Book III, for example). The Cicero abridgement is poorly done--it's difficult to infer who's speaking at the beginning of the selection from Book II. Boethius doesn't really need to be here, and it's difficult to see how the Kristeva essay really has anything to do with rhetoric. And the introductory sections are not what they could be. Often, difficult technical terms in the selections that follow them are NOT explains and defined clearly in the introductory notes. This is a usable text that is not carefully done.

As a single volume of collected rhetorical readings, the volume rocks. Plus, it can serve as a bookend or self-defense weapon in case ninjas attack, but be sure to see your massage therapist regularly if you have to carry this puppy in your bookbag more than once it week. I'm only half kidding--hauling this thing around is impractical at best. As for the editorial/translation issues, I'll let other expert reviewers address that.

As as student, this book stinks. There is little user-friendly about the book. Paper thin pages with non-existent margins and tiny print. This thing should be TWO volumes, not one. If it were printed in two over-sized volumes like Central Works in Tech Comm, it would be much more viable. Onion skin paper is maybe good for the Bible, but this isn't the Bible. If I want to mark texts or comment, I can't find anywhere to do it or my markings bleed. As a required textbook in some graduate programs, this is stinky. If your program requires you to buy the book, buy it. Then scan it to PDF format and take your notes with Acrobat or another program. Seriously, attempting to take notes in this volume nearly drove me buggy.

I find it richly ironic that a text about rhetoric, where context and audience awareness are so critical, completely ignores both its audience's contexts and needs.

If you need information on rhetoric this is the book for you; helps you understand rhetoric and writing.. It is quite lengthy, after all it does cover from classical times to the present, but is full of information. Great resource book. I have even gotten some ideas out of it for making English comp. more interesting.

Has a nice selection from the rhetorical masters and covers its bases rather well. You've got all your basics, from Plato to Cicero to Locke. However, as this is the first edition, I wouldn't suggest getting it unless your professor pointedly asks for it. Several important pieces are missing from this one that appear in the second edition and vice versa. This means that it is impossible to sell back afterward. Good uses for it range from paperweight to missile. You could probably kill an assailant with it if you chunked it at them.

Nothing special - needed it for class.

Be detailed and specific. What would you have wanted to know before you purchased the product?

Not too short and not too long. Aim for between 75 and 300 words.

The best thing about this book is that it includes full versions of many classical speeches. Compared to buying individual books about those speeches, this book is a better deal!

This is a great guide for undergraduate and graduate students who want a substantive overview to the history of rhetoric.

This book was tremendously helpful in establishing the history and current thought about rhetoric. The only complaint was that the feminist rhetoric section was grossly underrepresented. Excellent for ancient as well as modern studies.

I was quite impressed with the condition that the book came in! Only problem was that it took a lil longer than expected to arrive, which caused me to get a lil behind, but I was just so impressed with the unexpected great condition it was in!