Modern occult rhetoric : mass media and the drama of secrecy in the twentieth century / Joshua Gunn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gunn, Joshua, 1973-

Series:

Rhetoric, culture, and social critique

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Occultism--Social aspects.

Occultism.

Popular culture--History--20th century.

Popular culture.

History.

Language and languages--Miscellanea.

Language and languages.

Mass media.

Genre:

Trivia and miscellanea.

Physical Description:

xxix, 340 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Tuscaloosa : University of Alabama Press, [2005]

Summary:

A broadly interdisciplinary study of the pervasive secrecy in American cultural, political, and religious discourse. "Gunn has crafted an exceptionally fine book exploring discourse that hides, disguises, and occludes. He shows how central such discourse is in the world we live in. The book's linkage of 19th-century occult texts with the impenetrable books of today's fasionable postmodern gurus is especially valuable. Scholars across the academy will find that the book is indispensable."--Barry Brummett, author of "Rhetorical Dimensions of Popular Culture "Gunn's work is a comprehensive examination of society's hierarchies of mystery and elitism--a subject that has been largely ignored by rhetorical scholars--and Gunn tackles it with erudition, insight, and most importantly, humor. "Modern Occult Rhetoric is original, provocative, extremely well written, and throughtfully argued."--Mark McPhail, author of "Zen in the Art of Rhetoric

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [265]-328) and index.

ISBN:

0817314660

OCLC:

57285914