The representative anecdote as a burkean method, applied to evangelical rhetoric

Abstract

This essay explains Kenneth Burke's method of discovering the representative anecdote of a discourse. The method is synecdotal insofar as it identifies a story or dramatic form which represents the motivational essence of the discourse. The anecdote is metaphorical insofar as it underlies groups of discourses. The method is demonstrated through application to three examples of evangelical rhetoric. Implications of that rhetoric in social and political contexts are discussed.