Rhetorical Refusals

Rhetorical Refusals
Author :
Publisher : SIU Press
Total Pages : 228
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0809327899
ISBN-13 : 9780809327898
Rating : 4/5 (99 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Rhetorical Refusals by : John Schilb

Download or read book Rhetorical Refusals written by John Schilb and published by SIU Press. This book was released on 2007-11-20 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book to explore rhetorical refusals—instances in which speakers and writers deliberately flout the conventions of rhetoric and defy their audiences’ expectations— Rhetorical Refusals: Defying Audiences’ Expectations challenges the reader to view these acts of academic rebellion as worthy of deeper analysis than they are commonly accorded, as rhetorical refusals can simultaneously reveal unspoken assumptions behind the very conventions they challenge, while also presenting new rhetorical strategies. Through a series of case studies, John Schilb demonstrates the deeper meanings contained within rhetorical refusals: when dance critic Arlene Croce refused to see a production that she wrote about; when historian Deborah Lipstadt declined to debate Holocaust deniers; when President Bill Clinton denied a grand jury answers to their questions; and when Frederick Douglass refused to praise Abraham Lincoln unequivocally. Each of these unexpected strategies revealed issues of much greater importance than the subjects at hand. By carefully laying out an underlying framework with which to evaluate these acts, Schilb shows that they can variously point to the undue privilege of authority; the ownership of truth; the illusory divide between public and private lives; and the subjectivity of honor. According to Schilb, rhetorical refusals have the potential to help political discourse become more inventive. To demonstrate this potential, Schilb looks at some notable cases in which invitations have led to unexpected results: comedian Stephen Colbert’s brazen performance at the White House Press Association dinner; poet Sharon Olds’s refusal to attend the White House Book Fair, and activist Cindy Sheehan’s display of an anti-war message at the 2006 State of the Union Address. Rhetorical Refusals explores rhetorical theories in accessible language without sacrificing complexity and nuance, revealing the unspoken implications of unexpected deviations from rhetorical norms for classic political concepts like free debate and national memory. With case studies taken from art, politics, literature, and history, this book will appeal to scholars and students of English, communication studies, and history.


Rhetorical Refusals Related Books

Rhetorical Refusals
Language: en
Pages: 228
Authors: John Schilb
Categories: Language Arts & Disciplines
Type: BOOK - Published: 2007-11-20 - Publisher: SIU Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The first book to explore rhetorical refusals—instances in which speakers and writers deliberately flout the conventions of rhetoric and defy their audiences�
Renovating Rhetoric in Christian Tradition
Language: en
Pages: 230
Authors: Elizabeth Vander Lei
Categories: Language Arts & Disciplines
Type: BOOK - Published: 2014-02-28 - Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Throughout history, determined individuals have appropriated and reconstructed rhetorical and religious resources to create effective arguments. In the process,
The Case for Single Motherhood
Language: en
Pages: 193
Authors: Katherine Elizabeth Mack
Categories: Family & Relationships
Type: BOOK - Published: 2023-12-05 - Publisher: University of Alabama Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Delves into the rhetorical work of elective single mothers (ESMs) in the late twentieth- and early twenty-first centuries as they sought--and continue to seek--
Unruly Rhetorics
Language: en
Pages: 296
Authors: Jonathan Alexander
Categories: Language Arts & Disciplines
Type: BOOK - Published: 2018-10-26 - Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

What forces bring ordinary people together in public to make their voices heard? What means do they use to break through impediments to democratic participation
The Revolutionary Rhetoric of Hamilton
Language: en
Pages: 237
Authors: Luke Winslow
Categories: Language Arts & Disciplines
Type: BOOK - Published: 2022-09-09 - Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This scholarly exploration of Hamilton encourages audiences to interpret this popular culture force in a new way by revealing that the musical confronts convent