Rhetorical Critique Narrative Criticism Dramatism Background Art Revival

Rhetorical Critique Narrative Criticism & Dramatism Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

Narrative Critique • “Humans are the Storytelling animal. ” – Alasdair Mac. Intyre • • • Short stories, Comics, Novels, Films Poetry & Songs Conversations, Interviews, Speeches Even Paintings and Quilts Walter Fisher and the Narrative Paradigm Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

Biography: • Emeritus Professor at USC Annenberg • Fisher earned his doctorate in communication studies at the University of Iowa. • He specializes in rhetorical theory and criticism, political communication, and argumentation, addressing in particular problems in reason and ethics. Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

Fisher on the Narrative Paradigm • • Fisher, Walter R. (1984). "Narration as Human Communication Paradigm: The Case of Public Moral Argument. " in Communication Monographs 51. pp. 1 -22. Fisher, Walter R. (1985). "The Narrative Paradigm: An Elaboration. " in Communication Monographs 52. December. pp. 347367. Fisher, Walter R. (1985). "The Narrative Paradigm: In the Beginning. " in Journal of Communication 35. Autumn. pp. 74 -89. Fisher, Walter R. (1987). Human Communication as Narration: Toward a Philosophy of Reason, Value, and Action. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. Fisher, Walter R. (1988). "The Narrative Paradigm and the Assessment of Historical Texts. " in Argumentation and Advocacy 25. Fall. pp. 49 -53. Fisher, Walter R. (1989). "Clarifying the Narrative Paradigm. " in Communication Monographs 56. pp. 55 -58. Fisher, Walter R. (1994). "Narrative Rationality and the Logic of Scientific Discourse. " in Argumentation 8. pp. 21 -32. Fisher, Walter R. (1995). "Narration, Knowledge, and the Possibility of Wisdom" in Rethinking Knowledge: Reflections Across the Disciplines (Suny Series in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences). (Fisher & Robert F. Goodman as editors). New York: State University of New York Press. Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

4 Characteristics of Narrative 1. Comprised of at least 2 active or stative events • “stative” expressing a state or condition 2. Events organized in time order— • chronology 3. Causal or Contributing relationship between events 4. Must be about a unified subject Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

Traditional paradigm of rationality vs. Fisher’s paradigm: • People are essentially rational • We make decisions on the basis of arguments • The type of speaking situation determines the course of our argument • Rationality is determined by how much we know and how well we argue • The world is a set of logical puzzles that we can solve through rational analysis Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm • People are essentially storytellers • We make decisions on the basis of good reasons • History, biography, culture, and character determine what we consider good reasons • Narrative rationality is determined by the coherence and fidelity of our stories • The world is a set of stories from which we choose, and thus constantly re-create, our lives

Narrative Analysis of an Artifact 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. What is the Setting or Scene? Who are the main Characters? Who is the Narrator? Direct presentation? What are the major and minor Events? What are the Temporal Relations among the events? What Cause-&-Effect Relationships? Who is the Audience of the narrative? What are the major Themes? • Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm Formulate a research question.

"All the world's a stage" Dramatism Kenneth Burke (1897 -1993) Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

Identification • The Basic Principle of rhetoric • The use of symbols to create drama where communicator and audience identify with each other • Audience and communicator become “consubstantial” Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

Key Concepts • Substance: the essential characteristics of a person as seen by self and others • Consubstantiality: shared substance • Identification Division: consubstantiality always divides as well as unifying people • God terms & Devil terms: symbols connoting good or evil association with substance Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

The Elements of Symbolic Drama • Motive and Burke’s Pentad – Act, Scene, Agent, Agency, and Purpose • The Guilt-Redemption Cycle – Arousal of guilt – Purification by: • Mortification (self sacrifice) • Victimage (scapegoating someone or something else) – Redemption • Tragedy and the Comic Corrective Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

Logging Old Growth Forests Logger Rhetoric Environmental Rhetoric ACT Harvesting Lumber Destroying Forests SCENE Market for Lumber Ecological Crisis AGENT Responsible Business Greedy Capitalist AGENCY Scientific Techniques Reckless, wasteful methods PURPOSE Jobs, wise resource use Profit and exploitation Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm Table by Prof. Bob Craig, U of CO @ Boulder

Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm Illustration from Prof. Bob Craig, U of CO @ Boulder

Pendatic Analysis • • • Identify the ACT Where or what is the situation? -SCENE Who is the main character? -AGENT How is the act accomplished? -AGENCY What is intended by performing the act? -PURPOSE Apply ratios to determine dominant term: Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

20 possible “Pendatic Ratios” • • • Scene - Act: no Scene - Agent: yes Scene - Agency: no Scene - Purpose: yes Act - Scene: no Act - Agent : no Act - Agency : no Act - Purpose : no Agent – Scene: yes Agent – Act: yes Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm • • • Agent – Agency: yes Agent – Purpose: no Agency – Act: unclear Agency – Scene: no Agency – Agent : yes Agency – Purpose: unclear Purpose – Act: no Purpose – Scene: yes Purpose – Agent : no Purpose – Agency: unclear

The Dominant Term The Philosophy of Dominance • Act – Realism not Nominalism – Universal principles more real than objects • Scene – Materialism – Reality explained by matter, motion, physical law • Agent – Idealism – Views mind and spirit as fundamentally real • Agency – Pragmatism • Purpose - Mysticism Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm

After Analysis • Formulate a Research Question – Narrative • Open ended – How does construction effect interpretation? – What does story say about culture? Etc. – Dramatism • Worldview? • Motives? • Ratios? • Write an Essay Background Art: “Revival” by Susan Hickman © http: //susansart. org/index. htm