Rhetoric, Materiality, & Politics

Biesecker (speech communication, University of Georgia) and Lucaites (rhetoric and public culture, Indiana University) are not afraid of healthy debate. The articles in this collection address different attitudes toward materiality and rhetoric, sometimes diametrically opposed. Some are based in theories of rhetoric as influenced by Marx, Lacan and Derrida. Others focus on the use of rhetoric, here defined as more than speech, to convince consumers that buying certain products will change their self-image or to make them reevaluate long held assumptions. The process of using rhetorical analysis is best depicted in an article on the evidentiary information that has led some to conclude that Abraham Lincoln was secretly gay. The author does not come down on either side in this debate but, like many of the other contributors, evaluates the sources and how they have been used. Political, literary and historical topics are all exposed to rhetorical scrutiny in this volume, which provides a lively forum for a subject that is currently reinventing itself. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)