LibGuides: Rhetoric LibGuide: Home

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LibGuide Focus

Learning - if you do not know much about rhetoric, our page of resources has links that will help you learn more about the subject generally. You can find these links in the books and websites sections.

Researching - if you are doing a project or paper about a topic of rhetoric and need to research to find sources, our list of databases, journals, and books will help you.

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This Guide was exists due to the great work of several Information Commons student employees: Alexis Schmidt, Quinn McKenzie, Lydia Gentry, Madeleine Lucchetti, and Seth Stone.

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Rhetoric Resources

Definitions

Have you ever tried to communicate a point to an audience? Whether you were giving a speech, writing an essay, or simply talking to a friend, you were engaging in practices of rhetoric.

To put it one way, rhetoric is:

The art of using language effectively so as to persuade or influence others, esp. the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques to this end; the study of principles and rules to be followed by a speaker or writer striving for eloquence, esp. as formulated by ancient Greek and Roman writers. (Oxford English Dictionary Definition)

However, since so many people engage in and study rhetoric, it can be approached in a variety of angles by scholars. Here are a few more definitions, which have been taken from websites that you can find in the resources section of this LibGuide.

Rhetoric, according to Aristotle, is the art of seeing the available means of persuasion. Today we apply it to any form of communication (TedEd Blog).

In brief, “rhetoric” is any communication used to modify the perspectives of others (Purdue Owl).

Rhetoric is the study of effective speaking and writing. And the art of persuasion. And many other things (BYU).

As these definitions allude to, rhetoric is a broad concept that takes time to understand fully. Our guide provides resource so that you are able to learn about or research rhetoric in depth.

Finding Research

For your variety of research and learning needs, this Guide provides an array of rhetoric resources:

Databases/Journals/Articles
Websites

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PHYSICAL CONTENT (Books, DVD/CDs, Musical Scores, etc.)

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ONLINE CONTENT (Articles, eBooks, eVideo, etc.)

On the search page you may notice some blue buttons to "View eBook" or "View full text." If the item is held by Butler Libraries, this button should connect you with the content online. If it does not:

Sometimes links break or send you to the wrong page! If you can't get it to work, let us know.
There is a lot of variance in our eBook collection - even among those that say "held by Butler Libraries." Some are eBooks we already own that will allow for immediate viewing or downloading. Some are part of our DDA program and can be purchased once you give your login to let us know you want the item. Even within the DDA program there are variances - some eBooks can be instantly purchased, some require approval from library staff (done during M-F business hours), and some may limit the number of simultaneous users. Bottom line: check out our eBook LibGuide and ASK your librarian if you have any eBook questions!

Databases

Communication & Mass Media Complete
Communications and Mass Media Complete combines two previous resources related to communication and mass media (CommSearch and Mass Media Articles Index). It provides full text for over 200 journals and contains citation coverage for more.
JSTOR
JSTOR provides access to full-text academic electronic journals in various disciplines including economics and finance, political science, history, literature, anthropology, mathematics, sociology, statistics, and education.
MLA International Bibliography
Produced by the Modern Language Association (MLA), this database provides a subject index for books and articles published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics.
Nexis Uni
Nexis Uni provides access to the full text of hundreds of major business and legal journals, magazines, and U.S. and international newspapers. Company financial, country, tax, medical, federal and state legal information, and accounting information can also be accessed.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context
A variety of reference materials, commentaries and viewpoints, periodical and news articles, primary sources, statistics and multimedia to help present different sides of controversial topics. Highly recommended for argumentative/persuasive research topics.
Project MUSE
See https://about.muse.jhu.edu/resources/freeresourcescovid19/ for a list of scholarly presses offering free access to all their journals or ebooks on Project MUSE through June. Butler normally has full ejournal but not ebook access to MUSE.

JOURNALS

Philosophy & Rhetoric
Description provided by EBSCO: Articles on relations between philosophy & rhetoric. Topics include connections between logic & rhetoric, philosophical aspects of argumentation, views on the nature of rhetoric among historical figures & during historical periods.
Rhetor. Journal of the Canadian Society for the Study of Rhetoric
Description provided by EBSCO: Committed to exploring the dynamic diversity and disciplinary intersections that characterize rhetorical studies in Canada and internationally.
Rhetoric & Public Affairs
Description provided by EBSCO: Covers the history, theory, and criticism of public discourse.
Rhetorica: A Journal of the History of Rhetoric
Description provided by JSTOR: Rhetorica, published quarterly for the International Society for the History of Rhetoric, includes articles, book reviews and bibliographies that examine the theory and practice of rhetoric in all periods and languages and their relationship with poetics, philosophy, religion and law.
Rhetoric Review
Description provided by Taylor & Francis: Rhetoric Review (RR) , a scholarly interdisciplinary journal of rhetoric, publishes in all areas of rhetoric and writing and provides a professional forum for its readers to consider and discuss current topics and issues. The journal publishes manuscripts that explore the breadth and depth of the discipline, including history, theory, writing, praxis, philosophy, professional writing, rhetorical criticism, cultural studies, multiple literacies, technology, public address, graduate education, and professional issues.

Websites

TedEd Blog: Rhetoric 101: The art of persuasive speech
Description from TedEd: How do you get what you want, using just your words? Aristotle set out to answer exactly that question over 2,000 years ago with a treatise on rhetoric. Below, Camille A. Langston describes the fundamentals of deliberative rhetoric and shares some tips for appealing to an audience’s ethos, logos, and pathos in your next speech.
Purdue OWL: The Rhetorical Situation
Description from Purdue Owl: Understanding and being able to analyze rhetorical situations can help contribute to strong, audience-focused, and organized writing. The PowerPoint presentation in the Media box above is suitable for any classroom and any writing task. The resource below explains in more detail how to analyze rhetorical situations.
Virtual Salt: A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices
Description from Virtual Salt: This book contains definitions and examples of more than sixty traditional rhetorical devices, (including rhetorical tropes and rhetorical figures) all of which can still be useful today to improve the effectiveness, clarity, and enjoyment of your writing.
Rhetoric Society of America: Scholarly Resources
Description from RSA: The following websites provide useful resources for students and scholars of rhetoric.
Silva Rhetoricae: The Forest of Rhetoric
Description from BYU: This online rhetoric, provided by Dr. Gideon Burton of Brigham Young University, is a guide to the terms of classical and renaissance rhetoric. Sometimes it is difficult to see the forest (the big picture) of rhetoric because of the trees (the hundreds of Greek and Latin terms naming figures of speech, etc.) within rhetoric. This site is intended to help beginners, as well as experts, make sense of rhetoric, both on the small scale (definitions and examples of specific terms) and on the large scale (the purposes of rhetoric, the patterns into which it has fallen historically as it has been taught and practiced for 2000+ years).

Rhetoric LibGuide: Home

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