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Theories of rhetoric initially emerged in Greece in the fifth century B.C. with the realization that in a democracy all citizens had a right and duty to participate in their own government. Aristotle's Rhetoric was the first, systematic study of civic discourse. But this classic text has not ...

Theories of rhetoric initially emerged in Greece in the fifth century B.C. with the realization that in a democracy all citizens had a right and duty to participate in their own government. Aristotle's Rhetoric was the first, systematic study of civic discourse. But this classic text has not benefited from a new translation in sixty years. Now, George A. Kennedy, a leading scholar of classics and communications, has provided an up-to-date, lucid translation which will make the Rhetoric as well known--and as accessible--as Aristotle's Poetics. Kennedy's version of On Rhetoric takes into account all of the latest scholarship on Aristotle, using the most reliable texts available, and preserving Aristotle's distinctive style. He eliminates euphemistic and sexist language (which Aristotle did not use), and maintains contradictions which exist in the hand-written, medieval manuscripts (which provide our only access to Aristotle's work). Kennedy's translation also provides the most substantial commentary, and the most extensive notes, of any English version. In his introduction, we learn of the status of rhetoric before Aristotle's treatise (including the work of Socrates, Plato, and Gorgias), receive an account of his life (he tutored the young Macedonian who later became Alexander the Great), and, of course, find a detailed, chapter by chapter account of the text. Kennedy also includes a glossary of Greek rhetorical vocabulary, supplementary texts (by Gorgias, Cicero, and Aristotle himself), and essays on the Rhetoric's composition and on the history of the text after Aristotle. Aristotle's pioneering study of rhetoric remains useful today, whether for composition studies, public speaking, or literary criticism. The proper use of rhetoric is an essential component of the democratic process, and this readable translation will make the art of persuasion available to new generations of citizens and scholars.

In this collection edited by Alan G. Gross and Arthur E. Walzer, scholars in communication, rhetoric and composition, and philosophy seek to "reread" Aristotle's Rhetoric from a purely rhetorical perspective. So important do these contributors find the Rhetoric, in fact, that a core tenet in this ...

In this collection edited by Alan G. Gross and Arthur E. Walzer, scholars in communication, rhetoric and composition, and philosophy seek to "reread" Aristotle's Rhetoric from a purely rhetorical perspective. So important do these contributors find the Rhetoric, in fact, that a core tenet in this book is that "all subsequent rhetorical theory is but a series of responses to issues raised by the central work".

Gross and Walzer do not seek to renew the ancient quarrel between philosophy and rhetoric; rather, they call for a healthy division of labor, demanding that "purely rhetorical issues are genuine and must be explored". For that purpose all three books of the Rhetoric are essential.

The essayists reflect on questions basic to rhetoric as a humanistic discipline. Some explore the ways in which the Rhetoric explicates the nature of the art of rhetoric, noting that on this issue, the tensions within the Rhetoric often provide a direct passageway into our own conflicts.

Specifically, CarolynR. Miller's exploration of topical invention within the Aristotelian tradition addresses the question: What does it mean to say that rhetoric is generative or epistemic as distinguished from instrumental or managerial? Alan G. Gross, examining the meaning of Techne, asks whether we should think of rhetoric as the basis for an art of civic deliberation. Arthur E. Walzer and Barbara Warnick discuss what it means to say that rhetoric is contextualized, culturally situated art in contrast with arts such as logic and dialectic that have more universal claims.

Jeffrey Walker reflects on the contradictions between Aristotle's account of the passions in the Rhetoric and accounts found elsewhere inAristotle's work. Similarly, Thomas B. Farrell seeks to understand what "validity" might mean in a rhetorical context. Jeanne Fahnestock examines the influences of the Rhetoric's treatment of style on subsequent understandings