言葉を巧みに操り表現する技術として知られる修辞法。その修飾的、欺瞞的な表現から否定的なニュアンスで論じられることも少なくありません。本書では、説得力のある話し方として発展してきたその歴史をたどりながら、その概念や具体的な手法について幅広く検証します。
  

• Includes the key rhetorical concepts and techniques
• Helps the reader develop a critical appreciation of the rhetoric of others
• Uses historical examples to illustrate the main issues
• Considers the use of rhetoric in a number of different contexts

 
Rhetoric is often seen as a synonym for shallow, deceptive language, and therefore as something negative. But if we view rhetoric in more neutral terms, as the 'art of persuasion', it is clear that we are all forced to engage with it at some level, if only because we are constantly exposed to the rhetoric of others. 

In this Very Short Introduction, Richard Toye explores the purpose of rhetoric. Rather than presenting a defence of it, he considers it as the foundation-stone of civil society, and an essential part of any democratic process. Using wide-ranging examples from Ancient Greece, medieval Islamic preaching, and modern cinema, Toye considers why we should all have an appreciation of the art of rhetoric.
 
 
Reading Guide