Rhetorical Criticism

Rhetorical Criticism Context, Method and the Book of Jonah Old Testament Series Phyllis Trible, foreword by Gene M. TuckerAugsburg Fortress, 1994ISBN 9780800627980 Soft cover, 280 pp.5.93 X 8.46 X 1.14 inches | 0.84 pounds Phyllis Trible examines rhetorical criticism as a discipline within biblical studies. In Part One she surveys the historical antecedents of the method from ancient times to the postmodern era: classical rhetoric, literary critical theory, literary study of the Bible, and form criticism. Trible then presents samples of rhetorical analysis as the art of composition and as the art of persuasion. In Part Two, formulated guidelines are applied to a detailed study of the book of Jonah. A close reading with respect to structure, syntax, style, and substance elicits a host of meanings embedded in text, enabling the relationship between artistry and theology to emerge with clarity. Rhetorical Criticism has many distinctive features. It is the first comprehensive treatment of