The renaissance of American public address: Text and context in rhetorical criticism

Abstract

The study of American public address is in the midst of a remarkable renaissance. One aspect of that renaissance is a resurgence of interest in the American oratorical tradition; another is a growing occupation with the close analysis of rhetorical texts. These developments are particularly important given the need to develop a body of critical literature explicating the rhetorical artistry of classic texts from the heritage of American oratory. Like other aspects of study in public address, creating such a body of literature should be regarded as important in its own right, rather than for its potential to fill in the historical record or to enhance the development of rhetorical theory.

AMERICAN ORATORS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. Edited by Bernard K. Duffy and Halford R. Ryan. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1987; pp. 468. $65.00.