Rhetoric Review Jan 2021

Making the Midcentury, Modern

Ehren Helmut Pflugfelder Oregon State University ; Ruth E. Sylvester University of Nevada, Reno ; Marisa Yerace Purdue University West Lafayette ; Matthew Fuller Oregon State University

Abstract

Bernard Malamud’s novel A New Life and its attention to midcentury writing instruction illuminates the emergence of rhetoric and composition. Malamud’s novel is what microhistorians describe as “exceptional typical” evidence, where exceptional status and typical topics combine to showcase power formations in historical context. The novel describes shifts in textbooks and writing curricula, identifies the emergence of process-oriented assessment practices, and witnesses the institutional and disciplinary marginalization of female instructors. As such, Malamud could be described as a proto-composition scholar. Reflecting upon his legacy at their institution, the authors consider the re-naming of a student lounge named after Malamud.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2021-01-02
DOI
10.1080/07350198.2020.1841456
Open Access
Closed
Topics
multimodality

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

Cites in this index (5)

  1. Heyda (1999)
    Fighting over Freshman English: CCCC's Early Years and the Turf Wars of the 1950s
    College Composition and Communication
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    Composing a discipline: The role of scholarly journals in the disciplinary emer…
    Rhetoric Review
  3. Eaker (1954)
    Measuring Success in Composition
    College Composition and Communication
  4. (1951)
    Materials, Devices, Attitudes in the Composition Course: The Report of Workshop No. 3
    College Composition and Communication
  5. (1950)
    Reading and Grading Themes: The Report of Workshop No. 7
    College Composition and Communication
Also cites 9 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.3726/b13693
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  2. 10.2307/j.ctt5hjpc7
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  3. 10.2307/j.ctt6wrbzz
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  4. 10.7330/9781607328445
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  5. Masters Thomas M (2004)
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     ↗
  6. 10.1111/0018-2656.00172
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  7. 10.2307/j.ctt7zw8cm
     ↗
  8. 10.2307/378890
     ↗
  9. 10.2307/354725
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CrossRef global citation count: 0 View in citation network →

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