The death of philosopher and public intellectual Jacques Derrida drew international attention and generated public acts of mourning in the media. Several of the published obituaries for Derrida are notable for their overtly hostile and dismissive tone. This essay explores the genre of epideictic rhetoric and is grounded in Derrida’s work on mourning, analyzing several instances of “uncivil” epideictic rhetoric including three hostile obituaries and several responses to them written by friends and colleagues of Derrida for the insight that they yield regarding ethical public remembrance. We argue that a sincere engagement with the ideas of the dead, while always incomplete, is at the heart of an ethical, civil mourning.

Book Review| March 01 2011 Selling War in a Media Age: The Presidency and Public Opinion in the American Century Selling War in a Media Age: The Presidency and Public Opinion in the American Century. Kenneth Osgood and Andrew K. Frank. Kevin J. Ayotte Kevin J. Ayotte Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2011) 14 (1): 188–191. https://doi.org/10.2307/41940535 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Kevin J. Ayotte; Selling War in a Media Age: The Presidency and Public Opinion in the American Century. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 March 2011; 14 (1): 188–191. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/41940535 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2011 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2011 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.