ERIC Number: ED151877
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1976
Pages: 59
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Situations, Genres and Movements: Toward an Integrated Definition of Some Pivotal Terms in Contemporary Rhetorical Theory and Criticism.
Sproule, J. Michael
Because the many definitions of rhetorical situation, genre, and movement have been based on differing conceptions of rhetorical motive, there is a need for fresh inquiries into the meaning of these terms. This paper first examines the varying usages of situation, genre, and movement in the contemporary literature; discusses the confusion that surrounds the meaning of each term, taken individually; and surveys discrepancies that seem to exist regarding the hypothesized relationships among the terms. It then proposes definitions of situation, genre, and movement together with axioms detailing the connections existing among the three concepts. The definitions are based on a conception in which the audience acts as the prime rhetorical motive and the rhetor operates poetically and rhetorically. The power of the audience to demand communication and to judge its appropriateness is paramount. (GW)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Study prepared at Indiana University Southeast