Introduction to Rhetorical Theory

In this highly accessible new edition, Hauser systematically provides a humanistic account of what transpires when people communicate for some purpose. His masterful blend of classical and contemporary thinking about the use of language and the value of symbolic inducements for social cooperation illuminates fundamental rhetorical precepts and their implications for shaping human realities. The new chapter on publics theory complements the four chapters that introduce the broad themes and issues essential for a rhetorical approach to communication. The new chapter on narrative theory bridges the four chapters devoted to the content of rhetoric and the concluding chapters that emphasize symbolic processes by which humans induce social cooperation and constitute social reality. Throughout the text, Hauser skillfully underscores the power of language to present a particular reality. He explores the fundamental relationship between public discourse and judgment, helping students understand the core of rhetoric's civic function. Through relevant, current examples, he illustrates how knowledge and power shape our social and political practices and how both are formed through discourse. Titles of related interest also available from Waveland Press: Foss, Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice, Fourth Edition (ISBN 9781577665861); Foss et al., Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric, 30th Anniversary Edition (ISBN 9781478615248); Foss et al., Readings in Contemporary Rhetoric (ISBN 9781577662068); Sillars-Gronbeck, Communication Criticism: Rhetoric, Social Codes, Cultural Studies (ISBN 9781577661719); and Smith, Rhetoric and Human Consciousness: A History, Third Edition (ISBN 9781577665878).