Farnsworth's classical English rhetoric

Abstract

This title presents an enlightening overview and analysis of the uses of rhetoric in the English language. The way we use our language to convince and cajole is based on timeless principles - on repetition and variety, suspense and relief, expectation and satisfaction - that have been employed by writers and speakers since the Golden Age of Greece. They can be applied with effect to the construction of simple sentences and paragraphs, or entire compositions. Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric draws on examples from some of the great masters of English prose - Lincoln and Churchill, Dickens and Melville, Burke and Pain - to illustrate and analyse the most frequently used rhetorical devices with unrivalled clarity and detail. For anyone with an interest in the true potential of language, this is an indispensable guide, a highly useful reference, and a rewarding (and even entertaining) source of instruction.