Aristotle’s On Rhetoric is one of the earliest comprehensive treatments of rhetoric. He approaches the topic of rhetoric through a descriptive lens, rather than a prescriptive one, meaning he identifies and delineates the elements of rhetoric as he sees them happening in the orations of his time rather than provide a list of do’s and don’t’s for those seeking to improve …

Nov 30, 2010 · Humans have studied and praised rhetoric since the early days of the written word. The Mesopotamians and Ancient Egyptians both valued the ability to speak with eloquence and wisdom. However, it wasn’t until the rise of Greek democracy that rhetoric became a high art that was studied and developed systematically.

The traditional rhetoric is limited to the insights and terms developed by rhetors, or rhetoricians, in the Classical period of ancient Greece, about the 5th century bc, to teach the art of public speaking to their fellow citizens in the Greek republics and, later, to the children of the wealthy under the Roman Empire.

There is a newer edition of this item: The History and Theory of Rhetoric. $180.00. (1) Available to ship in 1-2 days. Updated in its 5th edition, The History and Theory of Rhetoric offers discussion of the history of rhetorical studies in the Western tradition, from ancient Greece to contemporary American and European theorists that is easily accessible to readers.This comprehensive text …

Oct 16, 2012 · Throughout this essay the term ‘rhetoric’ is used interchangeably with the term ‘persuasion’. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. It is accepted by most historians that rhetoric, as we know it, had its origins sometime in the 5th century B.C. when a form of democracy was established in Syracuse in Sicily.

From the Romans to the Middle Ages, rhetoric was taught as a liberal art alongside logic and grammar. In the post-Roman period, rhetoric was limited to the writing of letters and sermons, though the verbal form picked up again through proselytizing. It only regained its former popularity in the Renaissance period.