“Topics” as Ontologigal metaphor in contemporary rhetorical theory and criticism

Abstract

Our usual reading of “topos” is shaped by an ontological “place” metaphor capable of two different readings: an objective “place” where ideas may be “found,” “stored,” “discovered,” and “retrieved” or an existential “place” where one may be situated within a horizon, affording a unique but limited point of view. The latter interpretation has received less attention by theorists and is less familiar to us, although it is recognizable in some instances of criticism. Elaboration of this second interpretation can provide new critical possibilities, demonstrating how rhetors publicly perform their intellectual and communicative individuality.