Sharon Crowley, Debra Hawhee - Ancient rhetorics for contemporary students (2003).jpg

This rhetoric revives the classical strategies of ancient Greek and Roman rhetoricians and adapts them to the needs of contemporary writers and speakers. This is a fresh interpretation of the ancient canons of composing: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. It shows that rhetoric, as it was practiced and taught by the ancients, was an intrinsic part of daily life and of communal discourse about current events. This book gives special emphasis to classic strategies of invention, devoting separate chapters to stasis theory, common and special topics, formal topics, ethos, pathos, extrinsic proofs, and Aristotelian means of reasoning. The authors' engaging discussion and their many contemporary examples of ancient rhetorical principles present rhetoric as a set of flexible, situational practices. This practical history draws the most relevant and useful concepts from ancient rhetorics and discusses, updates, and offers them for use in the contemporary composition classroom. Individuals interested in reading about the ancient canons of composing. Crowley Ancient_Rhetorics_for_Contemporary_Students SMP Page 1 of 1
The very utterance of the word "rhetoric" conjures images ofancient history -- of Plato or Socrates engaged in some argumentative discourse, or ofsome austere philosopher preaching about abstract ideas that have no practical relevance toeveryday life. But the art of rhetoric is not so ancient nor so abstract -- in fact, it has neverbeen so alive as it is today; in a world saturated with advertisements, media reports, andtelevised trials -- in which every citizen has a soapbox -- personal rhetoric remains a vitaltool of expressive survival. This book revives the classical strategies of ancient Greek andRoman rhetoricians and adapts them to the needs of contemporary writers and speakerswho want to improve their persuasive skills. It shows that rhetoric, as it was practiced andtaught by the ancients, was an intrinsic part of daily life and communal discourse aboutcurrent events. This is a fresh interpretation of the ancient canon of composing: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. The authors'engaging discussion and their many contemporary examples of ancient rhetorical principlespresent rhetoric as a set of flexible, situational practices. The new edition discusses morethoroughly the relevance of classical commonplaces to American political ideologies. Abrief history of ancient rhetorics provides an interesting background for readers. A chapteron memory includes advice for strengthening memory, and a chapter on delivery addressespage design and layout as well as electronic delivery systems such as e-mail and websites. A bibliography and glossary of terms provide additional resources and furtherexplanations. Educators, writers, speakers, and anyone interested in a contemporary translation of ancient rhetorics.