Rhetorical Traditions and the Teaching of Writing

by C.H. Knoblach

The argument of this book is that the earliest tradition of Western rhetoric, the classical perspective of Aristotle and Cicero, continues to have the greatest impact on writing instruction--albeit an unconscious impact. This occurs despite the fact that modern rhetoric no longer accepts either the views of mind, language, and world underlying ancient theory or the concepts about discourse, knowledge, and communication presented in that theory. As a result, teachers are depending on ideas as outmoded as they are unreflectively accepted. Knoblauch and Brannon maintain that the two traditions are fundamentally incompatible in their assumptions and concepts, so that writing teachers must make choices between them if their teaching is to be purposeful and consistent. They suggest that the modern tradition offers a richer basis for instruction, and they show what teaching from that perspective looks like and how it differs from traditional teaching.

171 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 1984

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

this densely written book, found on the street several months ago, has had a great influence on my teaching of high-school English. Knoblauch and Brannon identify writing as a competency rather than a skill, one intimately connected with the student's "striving to acquire the humane values or the intellectual competences that literacy really entails." Writing is "conspicuously associated with the lives they lead or aspire to lead . . ."

The authors show how, in practice, this entails far less emphasis on learning the mechanics and forms of writing (like the five-paragraph essay), and more on developing genuine responses to meaningful events and texts.

The book is long and often redundant. I'm also not at all convinced by their claim that this view of teaching writing is at odds with classic rhetoric and only made possible by contemporary philosophy (they cite Michel Foucault, Susan K. Langer and Ernst Cassirer, in particular). Those reservations notwithstanding, the book has been and is immensely helpful to me, providing a light at the end of a tunnel of frustrated and ineffective instruction.

[Kyle Aisteach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry, but essential reading for anyone teaching writing.

[Nichole · Rating 1 out of 5]

The absolute worst book I've ever read.