Helping students learn how to perform rhetorical criticism, this book stresses criticism as an art and as a means to engage in critical thinking. The chapters and sample essays are written by noted experts and geared towards student accessibility. The third edition includes new chapters on visual rhetoric and digital rhetoric.

Covering a broad range of rhetorical perspectives, Rhetorical Criticism: Perspectives in Action, third edition presents a well-grounded introduction to the basics of rhetorical criticism and theory in an accessible manner for advanced undergraduate courses and introductory graduate courses.

Throughout the text, sample essays written by noted experts in the field provide students with models for writing their own criticisms. In addition to covering traditional modes of rhetorical criticism, the book introduces less commonly discussed rhetorical perspectives as well as orientations toward performing criticisms including close-textual analysis, critical approaches, and analysis of visual and digital rhetoric.

The third edition includes the following features:

• New chapters on visual rhetoric and digital rhetoric
• Potentials and Pitfalls sections analyzing individual perspectives
• Activities and discussion questions in each chapter
• Glossary of important terms

Preface

1. Essential Elements of Rhetorical Criticism: The Big Picture

Jim A. Kuypers

OVERVIEW OF RHETORICAL CRITICISM

2. What is Rhetoric?

Jim A. Kuypers and Andrew King

3. What is Rhetorical Criticism?

Jim A. Kuypers

4. Understanding Rhetorical Situations

Marilyn Young and Kathleen Farrell

5. Generic Elements in Rhetoric

Bill Benoit and Mark Glantz

PERSPECTIVES ON CRITICISM

6. The Traditional Perspective

Forbes I. Hill

7. Close Textual Analysis: Approaches and Applications

Stephen H. Browne

8. Criticism of Metaphor

John W. Jordan

9. The Narrative Perspective

Robert C. Rowland

10. Dramatism and Kenneth Burke’s Pentadic Criticism

Ryan Erik McGeough and Andrew King

11. Feminist Criticism

Donna Marie Nudd and Kristina Schriver Whalen

12. Ideographical Criticism

Ronald Lee and Adam Blood

EXPANDING OUR CRITICAL HORIZONS

13. Eclectic Rhetorical Criticism: Combining Perspectives for Insights

Jim A. Kuypers

14. Criticism of Visual Rhetoric

Natalia Mielczarek

15. Criticism of Popular Culture and Social Media

Kristen HoerlandZoe Farquhar

16. Criticism of Digital Rhetoric

Michelle G. Gibbons

17. Critical Rhetoric: An Orientation Toward Criticism

Raymie McKerrow

Appendix A. Writing Criticism: Getting Started

Appendix B. Additional Rhetorical Perspectives

Appendix C. Glossary of Terms

Appendix D. “On Objectivity and Politics in Criticism,” Edwin Black

Biographical Sketches of Authors