Reading Writing: An Argument Rhetoric & Reader with Rhetorical Terms And Concepts: A Contemporary Glossary

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Summary: Writing Reading Writing
Review: Reading Writing, like its companion volume, Rhetorical Terms and Concepts, was created to benefit everyone who produces or consumes written argument.The basic and simple premise is that the best way to learn to produce argument is to study the way it is currently written, taking into consideration, in that study, what the writers under examination are promoting, to whom those writers wish to promote it, and the methods of argument used in those attempts. In writing the book I tried to avoid suggesting that there is one way to write argument or even a single set of ways to write argument that suits all audiences at all times, or even that there is a solid logical base from which arguments can be built. I worked instead in the world where persuasion actually takes place, where readers are convinced to stand their ground, or to move to different ground, or simply to get out of the way through appeals to their sense of the warranted, of the gravity of the issue, the consequences of their attitudes, and the concerns central to the subject. While the book never simplifies, it was designed to be fun to read and is populated with provocative essays by writers ranging from Barney Frank to Frank Zappa, from Molly Ivins to George Orwell. It brings a non-academic and rule-free attitude to its vitally important subject--written persuasion and how it is accomplished. Rhetorical Terms and Concepts, the glossary that comes with Reading Writing is available by itelf in case your primary interest is in a reference text and discussion of terminology and concepts basic to written persuasion.