Words on fire : eloquence and its conditions / Rob Goodman, Ryerson University.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Goodman, Rob, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Communication in politics.

Political science--Philosophy.

Political science.

Eloquence.

Rhetoric--Political aspects.

Rhetoric.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 223 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2022.

Summary:

Why is political rhetoric broken - and how can it be fixed? Words on Fire returns to the origins of rhetoric to recover the central place of eloquence in political thought. Eloquence, for the orators of classical antiquity, emerged from rhetorical relationships that exposed both speaker and audience to risk. Through close readings of Cicero - and his predecessors, rivals, and successors - political theorist and former speechwriter Rob Goodman tracks the development of this ideal, in which speech is both spontaneous and stylized, and in which the pursuit of eloquence mitigates political inequalities. He goes on to trace the fierce disputes over Ciceronian speech in the modern world through the work of such figures as Burke, Macaulay, Tocqueville, and Schmitt, explaining how rhetorical risk-sharing has broken down. Words on Fire offers a powerful critique of today's political language - and shows how the struggle over the meaning of eloquence has shaped our world.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 16 Dec 2021).

ISBN:

9781009051064

1009051067

9781009051262

1009051261

9781009042840

100904284X

OCLC:

1269507452