Overview

The first of its kind in the field of rhetoric, this book examines important speech encounters in the political life of twentieth-century America. The essays focus on significant speakers who have delivered political accusations against their opponents and on the orators who, in turn, have delivered apologies in order to protect their political standing. The essays treat these speech encounters as oratorical confrontations. Both accusatory and defending speeches are used to illuminate one another and to provide unique insight into the outcome of the encounters themselves. Each essay concludes with a bibliography of research materials, sources, and locations of speech texts.

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9780313255687

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?In an era when too many believe that theory building is the essential business of rhetorical criticism, this group of theory-based traditional (in the best sense of the word) historical studies is welcome. More so than in many collections, however, the quality of the individual essays is mixed. The majority of the studies are solid and workmanlike, and Craig Allen Smith on Watergate is outstanding.?-Choice In an era when too many believe that theory building is the essential business of rhetorical criticism, this group of theory-based traditional (in the best sense of the word) historical studies is welcome. More so than in many collections, however, the quality of the individual essays is mixed. The majority of the studies are solid and workmanlike, and Craig Allen Smith on Watergate is outstanding. -Choice

?In an era when too many believe that theory building is the essential business of rhetorical criticism, this group of theory-based traditional (in the best sense of the word) historical studies is welcome. More so than in many collections, however, the quality of the individual essays is mixed. The majority of the studies are solid and workmanlike, and Craig Allen Smith on Watergate is outstanding.?-Choice

Author Information

HALFORD ROSS RYAN is Professor of Public Speaking at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

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