Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2010

Answering the Call: Toward a History of Proposals

Lisa Meloncon

Abstract

While scholars have begun to write a history of reports and instructions, little scholarship exists on the history of proposals. To fill this gap, I analyze proposals written by Dorothy Wordsworth and Anne Macvicar Grant, ca. 1800. My analysis uses contemporary rhetorical theory to determine how they structured their writing and incorporated rhetorical appeals to achieve their goals. My findings show that their texts should be placed on a continuum of the history and development of the proposal genre. Further findings suggest that their use of contemporary rhetorical theories authorized Wordsworth's and Grant's discourse to successfully affect change.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2010-01-01
DOI
10.2190/tw.40.1.c
Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical theory affect and writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Gray (2026)
    The Utility of Inclusivity: How Emoji Proposal Writers Navigate Oppositional In…
    Technical Communication Quarterly

Cites in this index (6)

  1. Meloncon (2007)
    Exploring Electronic Landscapes: Technical Communication, Online Learning, and …
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Moran (2003)
    Ralph Lane's 1586 Discourse on the First Colony: The Renaissance Commercial Rep…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Lippincott (2003)
    Rhetorical Chemistry
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Moran (2002)
    A Fantasy-Theme Analysis of Arthur Barlowe's 1584 Discourse on Virginia: The Fi…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Sutcliffe (1998)
    Feminizing the professional: The government reports of Flora Annie Steel
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 6 →
  1. SAUER (1993)
    Sense and Sensibility in Technical Documentation
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Also cites 6 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1007/978-1-349-20257-7
     ↗
  2. 10.2307/j.ctt20060zs
     ↗
  3. 10.4135/9781412986007.n1
     ↗
  4. 10.2190/SGC
     ↗
  5. 10.1080/00335639009383932
     ↗
  6. 10.1007/978-1-137-07810-0_1
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 2 View in citation network →

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