Rhetoric: An Historical Introduction

This introduction to the art of rhetoric analyzes rhetorical concepts, problems, and methods and teaches practical inquiry through a series of classic rhetorical texts. * An introduction to the art of rhetoric for those who are unacquainted with it and an argument about invention and tradition suitable for specialists * Texts range from Cicero’s De oratore and Augustine’s On Christian Doctrine to Jane Austen’s Persuasion and Stephen Greenblatt’s Marvellous Possessions * Texts serve simultaneously as works of persuasion and considerations of how rhetoric works * Engages readers in using rhetoric to deliberate about challenging issues.