Essays on Classical Rhetoric and Modern Discourse

Eighteen essays by leading scholars in English, speech communication, educa-tion, and philosophy explore the vitality of the classical rhetorical tradition and its influence on both contemporary dis-course studies and the teaching of writing. Some of the essays investigate the-oretical and historical issues. Others show the bearing of classical rhetoric on contemporary problems in composition, thus blending theory and practice. Com-mon to the varied approaches and view-points expressed in this volume is one central theme: the 20th-century revival of rhetoric entails a recovery of the clas-sical tradition, with its marriage of a rich and fully articulated theory with an equally efficacious practice. A preface demonstrates the contribution of Ed-ward P. J. Corbett to the 20th-century re-vival, and a last chapter includes a bibli-ography of his works.