Rhetoric is one of the Western world's oldest disciplines.
From ancient Greece and Rome to the modern era, the art of persuasion has been used, discussed, and debated for over twenty-four hundred years. In recent times, scholars in such areas as philosophy, literary theory, and communications have renewed their attention to rhetoric as a way of understanding many areas of culture and social life. And now the ideal reference work is available to further enhance the study of this fascinating field. It synthesizes a vast amount of knowledge from classics, philosophy, literature, literary theory, cultural studies, speech and communications, and discusses basic concepts and themes throughout rhetoric. Numerous cross-references, bibliographies, and synoptic and topical indexes further enhance the book and make it the definitive reference work on this powerful discipline.