Political Rhetoric in Theory and Practice: A Reader

by Robert C. Bartlett (editor), Nasser Behnegar (Editor)

Political Rhetoric in Theory and Practice is an introduction to the art of rhetoric or persuasive speaking. A collection of primary sources, it combines classic statements of the theory of political rhetoric (Aristotle, Isocrates, Demosthenes, Cicero) with a rich array of political speeches, from Socrates to Martin Luther King Jr., Pericles to Richard Nixon, Sojourner Truth to Phyllis Schlafly. These speeches exemplify not only the three principal kinds of rhetoric – judicial, deliberative, and epideictic – but also the principal rhetorical proofs. Grouped thematically, the speeches boast a diversity of speakers, subject matters, and themes. At a time when the practice of democracy and democratic deliberation are much in question, this book seeks to encourage the serious study of rhetoric by making available important examples of it, in both its noblest and its most scurrilous forms.

375 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2023

About the author

Robert C. Bartlett is Behrakis Professor in Hellenic Political Studies at Boston College and has authored numerous studies on the history of political thought, including recent editions of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (with Susan Collins) and the Art of Rhetoric.