Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jul 2007

In Praise of Carbon, In Praise of Science: The Epideictic Rhetoric of the 1996 Nobel Lectures in Chemistry

Christian F. Casper North Carolina State University

Abstract

This article explores the nature of epideictic rhetoric in science through a close textual analysis of three Nobel lectures. It examines the effects of the genre shift from original research reports to ceremonial speeches, revealing significant differences from Fahnestock's analysis of the genre shift from forensic research reports to epideictic articles in the popular press, especially a move toward greater candidness about the research process. Epideictic scientific rhetoric, therefore, can be said to celebrate the scientific method in general as much as it does the particular line of research at hand.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2007-07-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651907300468
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Topics
classical rhetoric rhetorical criticism genre theory discourse analysis
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Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Weber (2020)
    The News from Mars
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Cutrufello (2015)
    The Public Address and the Rhetoric of Science: Henry Rowland, Epideictic Speec…
    Rhetoric Review
  3. Bloch et al. (2014)
    Cultivating Critical-Thinking Dispositions Throughout the Business Curriculum
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

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