Drama as Rhetoric/Rhetoric as Drama: An Exploration of Dramatic and Rhetorical Criticism

Inasmuch as drama seeks to keep an audience engaged, it takes on rhetorical qualities; likewise, rhetorical endeavour may employ dramatic appeal. Centuries ago, Aristotle’s companion pieces
The Rhetoric
and
The Poetic
generated crosscurrents of critical thought about rhetoric and dramatic theory. Recently, such critic-theorists as Kenneth Burke, Ernest Bormann, Elder Olson, Paul de Man and others have stirred up these currents afresh. The contributors to this volume take new approaches to enduring issues.