Topoi of religious controversy in the American Catholic debate over vernacular reform

Abstract

This essay proposes that arguments used popularly in religious controversies are historically stable and that rhetorical critics’ attention to the special, material sources of reference for argumentation enhances the analysis of such controversies. Examining the public debate over vernacular reform, 1953–68, the essay emphasizes the relatively narrow range of topics reflected in argumentative invention during a representative and recent controversy.

Notes

Mr. Wiethoff is Assistant Professor of Speech Communication, Indiana University.