Rhetorical Hermeneutics: Invention and Interpretation in the Age of Science (Suny Series in Speech Communication) - Couverture souple

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 079143110X ISBN 13 : 9780791431108

Editeur : State University of New York Press, 1996

Synopsis

Examines the nature of rhetorical theory and criticism, the rhetoric of science, and the impact of poststructuralism and postmodernism on contemporary accounts of rhetoric.

"This volume provides thoughtful answers to a surprisingly large number of significant questions in the rhetoric of science and in rhetorical theory generally. It will have a wide readership because of its topical interest, its attention to basic theoretical issues, and its presentation of high quality academic debate." -- Robert Hariman, Drake University

"...an extraordinary book. The engagement is consistent throughout the volume. Unlike most anthologies, there is no issue of continuity in this one. It contains treatments of the field's most central issues and has a group of well-known authors who, in fact, have helped to define the field. I know of no book that approaches an engagement at this level. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it." --J. Shapiro, University of Hawaii

Rhetorical Hermeneutics asks whether rhetorical theory can function as a general hermeneutic, a master key to texts. The dazzling central essay by Dilip Parameshwar Gaonkar questions rhetoric's globally interpretive status; Gaonkar begins with the ubiquity of rhetoric: "It is a habit of our time to invoke rhetoric, time and again, to make sense of a wide variety of discursive practices that beset and perplex us, and of discursive artifacts that annoy and entertain us, and of discursive formations that inscribe and subjugate us. Rhetoric is a way of reading the endless discursive debris that surrounds us."

Starting from the work of John Angus Campbell, Alan Gross, and Lawrence Prelli on the rhetoric of science, Gaonkar broadens his critique to fundamental issues for any rhetorical theory and develops four questions that cut to the heart of the possibility of a (post)modern rhetoric: How can rhetoric, an art traditionally directed toward practice, transform itself into hermeneutic theory, a mode of reading? Does contemporary rhetorical theory have legitimate theoretical status? Can an intentional, strategic theory of rhetoric survive the poststructuralist, postmodernist critique? Is the case study, the centerpiece of rhetorical and ethnographic scholarship, epistemologically robust enough to bear the weight of a discipline?

Representing a variety of disciplines, contributors to this volume include: M. Leff, D. McCloskey, J. A. Campbell, A. Gross, S. Fuller, C. Miller, C. Willard, J. Jasinski, W. Keith, D. Kaufer, A. King, and T. Farrell. In a pellucid final essay, "A Close Reading of the Third Kind," Gaonkar responds to his critics.

“Rhetorical Hermeneutics is a fascinating collection of essays … the discussion becomes dynamic, invigorating, challenging, as each contributor impacts upon the work of the others around her/him … The result is exciting.” — H-Net Reviews (H-Rhetor)

"The essay by Gaonkar has forced rhetorical scholars to reexamine the history and future of their discipline in the wake of postmodernism, and to contemplate the very nature of rhetorical criticism itself, not just in a scientific context but in a much wider social-political milieu. This text most certainly will stir up an already volatile debate."-- Ken Zagacki, Louisiana State University

A propos du livre

À propos de l?auteur

Alan G. Gross is Professor in the Department of Rhetoric at the University of Minnesota. His publications include The Rhetoric of Science. William M. Keith is Assistant Professor in Communication at Oregon State University.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: State University of New York Press
• Date d'édition: 1996
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 079143110X
• ISBN 13: 9780791431108
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 380
• Éditeur: Gross Alan G.
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible