By tracing the traditional progression of rhetoric from the Greek Sophists to contemporary theorists, this updated eighth edition gives students a conceptual framework for evaluating and practicing persuasive writing and speaking in a wide range of settings, including written, visual, and digital media.
Through an expansive historical purview, the book illustrates how persuasive public discourse performs essential social functions and shapes our societies, drawing on the ideas of many of historys greatest thinkers and theorists. This new edition includes an integrated exploration of non-Western rhetorics, an updated account of contemporary rhetoric, and enhanced analysis of rhetorical theory in a digital age. Known for its clear writing style and contemporary examples throughout, The History and Theory of Rhetoric emphasizes the relevance of rhetoric to todays students.
This revised edition serves as a core textbook for rhetoric courses in both English and communication programs covering both the historical tradition of rhetoric and contemporary rhetoric studies.
The book is supported by an extensive collection of free digital resources for students and instructors, including:
- Interactive quizzes to test your knowledge
- Exam prep questions
- Introductory lectures featuring Dr. Winslow
- Video and audio links
- A detailed Instructor Manual
- Lecture slides for each chapter
Visit the Instructor & Student Resources website at routledgelearning.com/historyofrhetoric.
This updated eighth edition gives students a conceptual framework for evaluating and practicing persuasive writing and speaking in a wide range of settings, including written, visual, and digital media. It serves as a core textbook for rhetoric courses in both English and communication programs.
1. An Overview of Rhetoric
2. The Origins and Early History of Rhetoric
3. Plato versus the Sophists: Rhetoric on Trial
4. Aristotle on Rhetoric
5.
Rhetoric at Rome
6. Rhetoric in Christian Europe and North America
7.
Rhetoric in the Renaissance
8. Enlightenment Rhetoric
9. Rhetoric and
Modernity
10. Rhetoric and Postmodernity
11. Rhetoric in the Twenty-First
Century
Luke Winslow is Associate Professor of Rhetorical Studies in the Department of Communication at Baylor University. His teaching and research interests include rhetorical studies, political communication, and the rhetoric of religion. He is the author of numerous scholarly essays and five books, including Oligarchy in America: Power, Justice, and the Rule of the Few. He lives in Waco, Texas, with his wife, Addie, and their three children.
James A. Herrick was Emeritus Professor of Communication at Hope College, USA. His publications included Argumentation: Understanding and Shaping Arguments, 6th edition (2017) and Visions of Technological Transcendence: Human Enhancement and the Rhetoric of the Future (2017). In 2020, Dr. Herrick retired after teaching at Hope College for 36 years. He passed away on May 24, 2024.
