The War of Words - by Kenneth Burke (Paperback)

About the Book

"When Kenneth Burke conceived his celebrated "Motivorum" project in the 1940s and 1950s, he envisioned it in three parts. While the third part, A Symbolic of Motives, remains unfinished and unpublished, A Grammar of Motives (1945) and A Rhetoric of Motives (1950) have become canonical theoretical documents. A Rhetoric of Motives was originally envisioned as a two-part book. Here is the until-now unpublished War of Words, the second volume of A Rhetoric of Motives. The War of Words brilliantly exposes and theorizes the rhetorical devices that sponsor war in the name of peace. Discouraging militarism during the Cold War even as it details a catalog of contemporary persuasive tactics and strategies, Burke's book exposes how popular news media outlets can, wittingly or not, foment international tensions and armaments during tumultuous political periods. Chapters include "The Devices," "Scientific Rhetoric," "The Rhetoric of Bureaucracy," and "The Rhetorical Situation," along with an introductory chapter from the editors and a short introduction by Burke himself. With The War of Words, Kenneth Burke's influence and scholarly importance continues to play a prominent role in the field of rhetoric and literary criticism today"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

When Kenneth Burke conceived his celebrated "Motivorum" project in the 1940s and 1950s, he envisioned it in three parts. Whereas the third part, A Symbolic of Motives, was never finished, A Grammar of Motives (1945) and A Rhetoric of Motives (1950) have become canonical theoretical documents.

A Rhetoric of Motives was originally intended to be a two-part book. Here, at last, is the second volume, the until-now unpublished War of Words, where Burke brilliantly exposes the rhetorical devices that sponsor war in the name of peace. Discouraging militarism during the Cold War even as it catalogues belligerent persuasive strategies and tactics that remain in use today, The War of Words reveals how popular news media outlets can, wittingly or not, foment international tensions and armaments during tumultuous political periods. This authoritative edition includes an introduction from the editors explaining the compositional history and cultural contexts of both The War of Words and A Rhetoric of Motives. The War of Words illuminates the study of modern rhetoric even as it deepens our understanding of post-World War II politics.

From the Back Cover

"A timely new work by the most important rhetorician of the twentieth century."--Steven Mailloux, President's Professor of Rhetoric, Loyola Marymount University

"This book recovers a set of 'lost' texts from Kenneth Burke. It is important as history, but it is also full of valuable contributions to rhetorical theory and criticism."--Edward Schiappa, John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

"An absolutely indispensable addition to the Burkean corpus, with an admirable contextualization by the editors. The material they have prepared is exquisite."--Barry Brummett, Charles Sapp Centennial Professor in Communication, University of Texas at Austin

"With the publication of Kenneth Burke's War of Words, modern rhetoric will be forever changed. Burke's main contributions to modern rhetoric will be seen not just as identification but also as myth and argumentative devices. Originally imagined as the second half of A Rhetoric of Motives, his War of Words was cut because he feared its focus on analyzing particular historical events might date the work and, thus, undermine his larger project of constructing a philosophy of modern rhetoric. But the editors who have brought his War of Words to us at this moment have done a tremendous service to Burke studies and to rhetoric studies more generally. Even though our myths today may differ from those of Burke's era (especially in terms of gender), as a pedagogical model for analyzing the myths that we live, govern, and die by, War of Words could not be more timely."--Krista Ratcliffe, Professor and Chair of English, Arizona State University

Review Quotes

"Burke provides an account of enduring rhetorical 'devices' prevalent in all aspects of our mediated individual and organizational lives. In so doing, he enables the reader to decode how these devices subversively shape public attitudes toward war often under the guise of peace."-- "Organization"

"The volume provides Burke's fascinating, mid-career reflections upon his intellectual trajectory. . . .[the editors'] efforts have done scholars a tremendous service."-- "American Literary History"

"The three coeditors of this posthumous publication--Anthony Burke, Kyle Jensen, and
Jack Selzer--have done a commendable job assembling this material, which efforts they
narrate fully in their valuable introduction. . . . [The War on Words is a] revealing remnant of Burke's dissertation on motives, a companion volume to his Rhetoric. It is neither a sequel nor a prequel nor a detour nor
a summary; it is something more essential."-- "European Legacy"

About the Author

Anthony Burke is Associate Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at the University of Victoria and the son of Kenneth Burke. Burke worked with his father to organize and catalog Kenneth Burke's papers. He now contributes to maintaining the archives associated with Kenneth Burke's cultural legacy.

Kyle Jensen is Associate Professor of English at the University of North Texas. He is the author of Reimagining Process and the coeditor of Abducting Writing Studies.

Jack Selzer is Paterno Family Liberal Arts Professor at Pennsylvania State University. He has authored, coauthored, edited, and coedited many books and articles on Kenneth Burke, including Kenneth Burke in Greenwich Village and Kenneth Burke in the 1930s.