Deeds Done in Words: Presidential Rhetoric and the Genres of Governance

by Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, Kathleen Hall Jamieson

" Deeds Done in Words is an impressive piece of work. It is the first attempt to identify and assess the principal genres of rhetoric, and to interpret the panoply of those genres in terms of the needs of, and the needs for, ritual in American politics."—Jeffrey Tulis, author of The Rhetorical Presidency

" Deeds Done in Words is a thoughtful survey of how a democracy uses language to transact its business. Based on an enlivened understanding of genre theory and on numerous pieces of original criticism, Campbell and Jamieson vividly show how central public discourse has become the lifeblood of the American polity."—Roderick Hart, author of The Sound of Leadership

"The rhetoric that issues from the White House is becoming an ever more salient part of what the presidency means and does. This acute inquiry provides a great many insights into the forms, meanings, and functions of presidential discourse. It is an enlightening contribution to our understanding of American politics."—Murray Edelman, author of Constructing the Political Spectacle

Genres: Nonfiction

286 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 1990

Reviews

[Holly Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamieson is such a stud, I'll read anything about presidential rhetoric she feels like writing. This is a broad and general 'state of the field' type book, with an interesting adaptation of classical rhetorical 'genres' to the particular context of pres rhet (ugh). I found it extremely useful.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read about half for CMST 4971.

[Amelia Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible editorial of presidential rhetoric! Learned so much, especially appreciated the chapter on inauguration rituals

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just skimmed through here...trying to decide what to assign to my graduate students next semester. I think I'll just use parts of this book, like the chapter on inaugural addresses, the chapter on war rhetoric, and maybe the intro on presidential rhetoric.