Points of Praxis

My Blog Reflects on Visual Rhetorical Theory and Disability Rhetoric and their Connections to Classical and Contemporary Rhetorical Theory

Sonja Foss's Rhetorical Criticism

• Neo-Aristotelian Criticism:  Examine rhetorical triangle.  Relationship b/t speaker, listener, text, and context.  Examine canons:  invention (logos, ethos, pathos), arrangement, style, memory, delivery.

• Cluster criticism: to discover rhetor's worldview.  Based on Burke's works on symbolism.  typically unconscious or unaware by rhetor.  Identify key terms. Chart terms.  Discover patters. (rhetorical analysis of Autism Speaks based on cluster criticism)
  

• Fantasy-Theme criticism:  examine fantasies of small groups to show how they reflect the unconscious or unstated desires of the group.  Epistemological function to the symbols.  Reflect desires and create desires.  (disability rhetoric and film/rhetoric paper based on fantasy-theme criticism in a way)

• Feminist criticism:  "struggle to end sexist oppression and change existing power relations b/t women and men."  Criticism based on tenets of feminism--women subordinated by men. Women's experiences different than men's. Women's perspectives not incorporated into culture.

• Generic criticism:  examination of the features of a discourse to see "panoramically" how the discourse(s) reflect the social exigencies of the situation.  Similarities of rhetorical situations.  Similarities of rhetorical responses.  Similarities of situations, substantive/stylistic features, organization.  Examine social reality and relationship to rhetoric.  Examine how rhetorical acts influence each other and are shaped by prior rhetorics.  (rhetorical analysis of Reagan's and Clinton's apologies based on generic criticism)

• Ideological criticism:  based on "pattern or set of ideas, assumptions, beliefs, values, or interpretations of the world by which a culture or group operates." Ideology reflected in the artifacts of that group.  Hegemony--privileging of one ideology over others.  Based on domination.  Social control.  Need to identify the ideology.  Identify interests of those(rhetorical analysis of car magnets based on ideological (and feminist) criticism)

• Metaphoric criticism:  examination of metaphors to show how they constitute an argument.    metaphors as "system of associated commonplaces."  Contain points of view, assumptions, and evaluations. 
  

• Pentadic criticism:  examination of an artifact based on Burke's pentad, developed from his theory of dramatism.  For Burke, language constitutes action, not motion.  Motion is related to biological processes of sleeping, hunting, resting.  Action is conscious or symbolic.   Can examine the artifact as representative of a situation--scene, agent, agency, act, purpose.
  

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posted by: rgregory at 21:48 | link | comments (7) |

Comments:

#1  01 January 2007 - 21:37

 

You remembered!!!!

AlisonR

#2  01 January 2007 - 21:48

 

I hope these help. We do them all the time--now we just have the more specific name to go w/ them.

rgregory

#3  01 January 2007 - 22:05

 

You are right. We have done this for years. I hadn't really put terms to the process before. While I have been reading, I have found sooooo many other books I want to read--on rhetoric, teaching, etc. Some books/people are brand new to me. I thought I knew quite a bit about these topics--there is so much more to know!

AlisonR

#4  01 January 2007 - 22:34

 

I know what you mean. I feel that way about Perelman and Toulmin. The only time I've read them was for comps and I wish I had more time to study them.

If T., Burns, and Marsh ask me what area/theorists do I think I need to work on after comps on my own, I would say those guys. Getting just the gist doesn't seem like I'm doing them justice.

Marc's here so I'm actually cooking dinner tonight. I never have anyone to cook for if Marc's not here. The boys won't eat anything other than cereal, nachos, and pizza. And, I actually love to cook. Although, I'm short on cash, so it's whatever's in the pantry. Tonight, chicken and stove-top. As if we haven't had enough dressing. ;)

rgregory

#5  01 January 2007 - 22:45

 

I love to cook too and am making the safe 'ghetti tonight. I wish I could cook more--but I would be a monster if I cooked the gourmet foods that really appeal to me.

I like your kids' appetites. In my house, there are no mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, or anything remotely tasty. I cook with them anyway; then I spend 30 mins watching them being picked out.

One thing I'm worried about on my 3rd area is that the scholarship is really a lot of articles in edited editions because books aren't really abundant in this blossoming field. I don't know if I can memorize every person who wrote every article, even though their ideas are solid. What to do?

AlisonR

#6  01 January 2007 - 22:46

 

How was that for a schizophrenic post?

AlisonR

#7  02 January 2007 - 00:36

 

We're both feeling a little schizophrenic these days. I'm going to try the best I can to memorize some of the titles of the articles but will probably just end of saying, in the book ... Maybe a couple big ones I can memorize but there's only so much my brain can absorb at this point.

I'm the one usually picking everything out. I eat like a 6 year-old most of the time. I'm going to starve in Europe.

rgregory

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