Rhetoric Review Apr 2005

Ordering Rhetorical Contexts with Burke's Terms for Order

Mark T. Williams

Abstract

Bronislaw Malinowski introduces influential ideas of context to rhetoric when he rejects texts and etymology to argue that meaning is determined by tangible, embodied circumstances. I turn to ancient texts and Kenneth Burke's reading of Malinowski to argue that we order—and are ordered by—rhetorical contexts that are composed of hierarchical designs, oppositional ideas, and material bodies.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2005-04-01
DOI
10.1207/s15327981rr2402_3
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Topics
modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism
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