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The Rhetoric Companion
This textbook is designed for students of classical rhetoric who are old enough to drive, and young enough to still be breathing. It is offered in the conviction that God in His common grace bestowed a great deal of practical wisdom about public discourse on the ancient practitioners of rhetoric, and that we must hold what they taught up against the final standard of Scripture.
Definitions of rhetoric vary in the classical writers, but adapting one of them, with a peculiarly Christian backdrop and understanding, provides us with our working definition of rhetoric: "the art of a good man speaking well." And in this "art," you want three things to line up. You want convergence of ethos, pathos, and logos.
Logos: Logic is the foundation for logos. Logic deals with statements and their relationships with one another. For diligent speakers, and especially for those diligent students who are not all that confident, the inclination is to put all your eggs in the basket of content preparation. Logos is a great place to begin, but ethos and pathos are just as important.
Ethos: Give yourself to the cultivation of your character, but beware of the dangers of affectation. The problems attendant to this will be avoided if your first concern is that of worship, study, helping, giving, and so forth. If someone goes off to a good liberal arts college and comes back home with a tweed jacket with patches on the elbows, a pipe, and faux accent, and is twice as much of a snot as when he left home, the problem is ethos. Remember, a person cannot be a good speaker without being a good person, and this means that in the Christian worldview, ethos is holiness.
Pathos: We do not play with words, we work with them. And because we live in a fallen world, we fight dragons with them. Believe what you say, and say what you believe. And if you do not feel it at any level, this means you do not really believe it. This means there should be a correspondence between the content of what you are saying and how you are affected by it. If you shed false tears, then you are a manipulative, deceitful, treacherous hazard to the republic. Do not try to affect a group of hearers by anything that does not affect you first.
As a stand-alone text, this book can be used over the course of a term or semester. As a supplement or companion, it can be used in conjunction with some of the historic texts for the study of classic rhetoric, extended over the course of a year. Besides ethos, pathos, and logos, this book also covers the five canons of rhetoric, fallacies, the composition of arguments, copiousness, and presentation, among other things. Each of the thirty-one chapters contains a lesson, exercises, and review questions, along with suggested reading material and excerpts from the classical masters of the art of rhetoric.
Definitions of rhetoric vary in the classical writers, but adapting one of them, with a peculiarly Christian backdrop and understanding, provides us with our working definition of rhetoric: "the art of a good man speaking well." And in this "art," you want three things to line up. You want convergence of ethos, pathos, and logos.
Logos: Logic is the foundation for logos. Logic deals with statements and their relationships with one another. For diligent speakers, and especially for those diligent students who are not all that confident, the inclination is to put all your eggs in the basket of content preparation. Logos is a great place to begin, but ethos and pathos are just as important.
Ethos: Give yourself to the cultivation of your character, but beware of the dangers of affectation. The problems attendant to this will be avoided if your first concern is that of worship, study, helping, giving, and so forth. If someone goes off to a good liberal arts college and comes back home with a tweed jacket with patches on the elbows, a pipe, and faux accent, and is twice as much of a snot as when he left home, the problem is ethos. Remember, a person cannot be a good speaker without being a good person, and this means that in the Christian worldview, ethos is holiness.
Pathos: We do not play with words, we work with them. And because we live in a fallen world, we fight dragons with them. Believe what you say, and say what you believe. And if you do not feel it at any level, this means you do not really believe it. This means there should be a correspondence between the content of what you are saying and how you are affected by it. If you shed false tears, then you are a manipulative, deceitful, treacherous hazard to the republic. Do not try to affect a group of hearers by anything that does not affect you first.
As a stand-alone text, this book can be used over the course of a term or semester. As a supplement or companion, it can be used in conjunction with some of the historic texts for the study of classic rhetoric, extended over the course of a year. Besides ethos, pathos, and logos, this book also covers the five canons of rhetoric, fallacies, the composition of arguments, copiousness, and presentation, among other things. Each of the thirty-one chapters contains a lesson, exercises, and review questions, along with suggested reading material and excerpts from the classical masters of the art of rhetoric.
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 13, 2013
I've read Aristotle. I've read Quintilian. I've read Cicero. I've read half a dozen books written by guys who aren't dead yet. And none of them come even close to what Doug and ND Wilson accomplish here.
This is clear, hearty, powerful stuff--not to mention punchy, quotable, and just a real hoot. If you want the wisdom of the ancients (those dead guys I mentioned up there) without their pomposity and paganism, if you want the advice of the current speech-writing hotshots without their paint-by-numbers, here's-a-list-of-grammar-tricks approach, then this right here is what you want. It'll teach you what rhetoric is (i.e., all of life), what your job is as a rhetorician (speak the truth in love), and how to do it effectively (guts; humility; fall on your face; don't worry--it's not about you).
Having sat under the lectures of both these gentlemen and gotten slapped with many, many grades (both good and bad), I know how powerfully their teaching works, and I know that it whips students into shape for a life of words: words written, words spoken, words acted out.
So get this book. Read it (slowly). Sip it like fine Scotch. And when you're tanked up, go change the world.
This is clear, hearty, powerful stuff--not to mention punchy, quotable, and just a real hoot. If you want the wisdom of the ancients (those dead guys I mentioned up there) without their pomposity and paganism, if you want the advice of the current speech-writing hotshots without their paint-by-numbers, here's-a-list-of-grammar-tricks approach, then this right here is what you want. It'll teach you what rhetoric is (i.e., all of life), what your job is as a rhetorician (speak the truth in love), and how to do it effectively (guts; humility; fall on your face; don't worry--it's not about you).
Having sat under the lectures of both these gentlemen and gotten slapped with many, many grades (both good and bad), I know how powerfully their teaching works, and I know that it whips students into shape for a life of words: words written, words spoken, words acted out.
So get this book. Read it (slowly). Sip it like fine Scotch. And when you're tanked up, go change the world.
February 20, 2026
A very brief overview of rhetoric, written from both a classical and a Christian perspective, but soiled by Wilson's trademark sarcastic and demeaning tone. Details below.
•••
The Wilsons cover the classical five canons of rhetoric and three types of proofs, along with various fallacies and matters of style, comparing it at times to Scriptural wisdom. My review makes the most sense following the three types of "proofs" in relation to this book.
First, Logos, or matters of fact and logical reasoning used to convince minds. The facts, logic, and methods recommended in this book have some merit, but the book is mostly an overview – 150 pages, with blank spacer pages between chapters, big text with wide margins, and the occasional filler chapter. This comes at the largest expense in the section on logic and fallacies, where the brevity and casual tone leads to little explanation (and I've taken a class on logic before). Furthermore, the section on poetry and meter was heavyhanded, and the chapter on how intra-trinitarian and creation ontology justify the use of metaphor was a bit reaching for the purposes of this book. All this being noted, they did find time to throw in some useful tidbits of speaking advice here and there, so if all you need is a source for definitions and nuggets to help inform your own teaching, this book does do that. However...
Second, Ethos, or matters of character and reputation used to lend credibility and authority to the speaker. If you're not already aware, Doug Wilson is a controversial figure explicitly because of his crude rhetoric. For example, he has used cuss words as a pastor, insulted the size of feminists' chests, and put Johnny Cash's middle-finger on an advertisement for an anti-abortion event. Recently, he's gotten more attention because CNN did a whole segment on his church, highlighting facets like their desire for a woman's right to vote be repealed. If you disagree with this depiction of him, you must at least admit he's controversial and doesn't have the best reputation. You might hope to separate the author from his work, but...
Lastly, Pathos, or matters of morality and sympathy used to move hearts to align with yours. In writing with a casual tone, the Wilsons included numerous sarcastic remarks, insults, and sexual references in this textbook. This fits their reputation, but it's unbecoming for the book's purposes. When you have the ability to connur anything to use as an example, one must wonder what made them think all that they wrote was appropriate for an audience of students. Some examples below.
•••
— When discussing the difference between grand and plain language, they first wrote a grand sentence rebuking "Christian young women" for dressing immodestly, then wrote plainly: "What's with all the bed bait?" (p. 39).
— When discussing simple methods for memorization, they threw in a sarcastic remark: "in America, we're more likely to get a prescription for being distracted before we've tried something as obvious as this" (p. 42).
— When discussing the need to read copiously to bolster your rhetorical vocabulary, they rebuked: "If you listen to stupid music, watch stupid movies, and read stupid books . . . well, congratulations, you're stupid" (p. 24).
— When discussing the definition of rhetoric, they listed a few non-verbal (and thus non-rhetorical) means of persuasion to clarify: "A cute girl winking can be very persuasive [. . .] sending Guido around to break someone's kneecaps, sexual blackmail or seduction, bribery, and so forth" (p. 17).
— When discussing fallacies, the example they provided of a loaded question was "Have you attended all your classes sober this week?" After explaining why yes and no are not helpful answers, they jokingly suggest you "spring the trap" with sarcasm: "I'm drunk on you, babe. Your aura is overwhelming" (p. 80-81).
•••
In summary: Whether you agree with the Wilsons' various sentiments or not, their choices in examples and illustrations manifest from their controversial personalities. Not that it's every page, or even every chapter, but for such a short book, it's much more often than proper. This is simply not the character or tone appropriate for a textbook – especially, explicitly, a Christian textbook on how one should speak well with godly character. The slim educational material in this book is not worth ingesting their content. Don't buy this.
•••
The Wilsons cover the classical five canons of rhetoric and three types of proofs, along with various fallacies and matters of style, comparing it at times to Scriptural wisdom. My review makes the most sense following the three types of "proofs" in relation to this book.
First, Logos, or matters of fact and logical reasoning used to convince minds. The facts, logic, and methods recommended in this book have some merit, but the book is mostly an overview – 150 pages, with blank spacer pages between chapters, big text with wide margins, and the occasional filler chapter. This comes at the largest expense in the section on logic and fallacies, where the brevity and casual tone leads to little explanation (and I've taken a class on logic before). Furthermore, the section on poetry and meter was heavyhanded, and the chapter on how intra-trinitarian and creation ontology justify the use of metaphor was a bit reaching for the purposes of this book. All this being noted, they did find time to throw in some useful tidbits of speaking advice here and there, so if all you need is a source for definitions and nuggets to help inform your own teaching, this book does do that. However...
Second, Ethos, or matters of character and reputation used to lend credibility and authority to the speaker. If you're not already aware, Doug Wilson is a controversial figure explicitly because of his crude rhetoric. For example, he has used cuss words as a pastor, insulted the size of feminists' chests, and put Johnny Cash's middle-finger on an advertisement for an anti-abortion event. Recently, he's gotten more attention because CNN did a whole segment on his church, highlighting facets like their desire for a woman's right to vote be repealed. If you disagree with this depiction of him, you must at least admit he's controversial and doesn't have the best reputation. You might hope to separate the author from his work, but...
Lastly, Pathos, or matters of morality and sympathy used to move hearts to align with yours. In writing with a casual tone, the Wilsons included numerous sarcastic remarks, insults, and sexual references in this textbook. This fits their reputation, but it's unbecoming for the book's purposes. When you have the ability to connur anything to use as an example, one must wonder what made them think all that they wrote was appropriate for an audience of students. Some examples below.
•••
— When discussing the difference between grand and plain language, they first wrote a grand sentence rebuking "Christian young women" for dressing immodestly, then wrote plainly: "What's with all the bed bait?" (p. 39).
— When discussing simple methods for memorization, they threw in a sarcastic remark: "in America, we're more likely to get a prescription for being distracted before we've tried something as obvious as this" (p. 42).
— When discussing the need to read copiously to bolster your rhetorical vocabulary, they rebuked: "If you listen to stupid music, watch stupid movies, and read stupid books . . . well, congratulations, you're stupid" (p. 24).
— When discussing the definition of rhetoric, they listed a few non-verbal (and thus non-rhetorical) means of persuasion to clarify: "A cute girl winking can be very persuasive [. . .] sending Guido around to break someone's kneecaps, sexual blackmail or seduction, bribery, and so forth" (p. 17).
— When discussing fallacies, the example they provided of a loaded question was "Have you attended all your classes sober this week?" After explaining why yes and no are not helpful answers, they jokingly suggest you "spring the trap" with sarcasm: "I'm drunk on you, babe. Your aura is overwhelming" (p. 80-81).
•••
In summary: Whether you agree with the Wilsons' various sentiments or not, their choices in examples and illustrations manifest from their controversial personalities. Not that it's every page, or even every chapter, but for such a short book, it's much more often than proper. This is simply not the character or tone appropriate for a textbook – especially, explicitly, a Christian textbook on how one should speak well with godly character. The slim educational material in this book is not worth ingesting their content. Don't buy this.
February 7, 2023
I wish I could’ve learned this earlier in my life. I read this on my own, not doing any exercises, so I could have gone deeper. My purpose in reading this was to help me prepare for leading a class of 11th graders next year.
October 27, 2023
Handy, introductory guide to a multifaceted topic!
March 11, 2026
I did not read this as a textbook, but rather as a personal guide for improving my rhetoric. There are plenty of goodies in here, along with some lessons that were more technical than I’d prefer. That said, each lesson is around two pages, so I never lost interest. Worth a read if you have a desire to improve your rhetoric in speech and writing.
April 3, 2023
“We do not play with words, we work with them. And because we live in a fallen world we fight dragons with them.”
July 27, 2024
Handy entry point for classical rhetoric. It's necessary to read the supplementary literature to grasp what the book is saying, but the chapters each helpfully reference the appropriate books. What's taught in this book should be taught to every high schooler in America.
October 5, 2011
Very helpful to have it all in one place. Thanks Wilsons. "Senor Cicero"? Which of you did that?
February 8, 2021
I think that this book is the stupidest textbook I have ever had for a class. Not only were the exercises impossibly long and didn't take into account people who might not enjoy public speaking, that combined with the review questions made homework impossibly long and way too challenging. Half the time, the review question answers weren't even in the actual book itself and you had to guess and make up answers which embarrasses you in class when you don't know the answer and takes a tole on your grade. On top of that the lessons were incredibly boring and pointless. There are tear stains in my book from the countless nights I have spent trying to make sense of the words I was reading and trying my best to answer the questions when I knew I was just going to end up getting them wrong. Plus the answers aren't even online because most other students don't have to read this (I commend their teachers for having the common sense to keep this out of the curriculum). The only good thing is you can buy the answer key online but most people don't want to spend their hard earned money on that. This book is the worst book I have ever had to read for a class and the biggest waste of my time. I wouldn't even make my worst enemy read this book that's how bad it is.
February 10, 2020
Good intro to rhetoric. Wordsmithy was better.
December 26, 2024
Very good
July 25, 2013
This was an excellent book summarising the ancient and honourable art of rhetoric, defined by the Wilsons as "a good man speaking well".
I would recommend this book to just about every good man who wants to learn the art of speaking well. A lot is packed into this short course; while I read it with little difficulty over the course of a few hours, it has the kind of density that rewards careful and repeated study.
I have never studied formal rhetoric, but have been accustomed to write and debate from an early age. This book was a great help, explaining things I had only partially observed (such as rhythmic metre in prose) and filling in gaps (ethos and pathos, or character and emotion, as appropriate persuasive tools). As a writer myself, I'm excited to study my craft in more depth.
I also recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the gift of the gab, to become powerfully persuasive in speech or writing. The exercises and disciplines in this book will, if you have any aptitude at all, hone and develop your skill into something formidable. However, the book may require a little patience and independent study if the student has never studied formal logic, for example.
Finally, what makes me recommend this rhetoric manual above any other is the stout Christian worldview of the authors. They provide a Christian rhetoric, founded solidly upon the Word. Highly recommended.
I would recommend this book to just about every good man who wants to learn the art of speaking well. A lot is packed into this short course; while I read it with little difficulty over the course of a few hours, it has the kind of density that rewards careful and repeated study.
I have never studied formal rhetoric, but have been accustomed to write and debate from an early age. This book was a great help, explaining things I had only partially observed (such as rhythmic metre in prose) and filling in gaps (ethos and pathos, or character and emotion, as appropriate persuasive tools). As a writer myself, I'm excited to study my craft in more depth.
I also recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the gift of the gab, to become powerfully persuasive in speech or writing. The exercises and disciplines in this book will, if you have any aptitude at all, hone and develop your skill into something formidable. However, the book may require a little patience and independent study if the student has never studied formal logic, for example.
Finally, what makes me recommend this rhetoric manual above any other is the stout Christian worldview of the authors. They provide a Christian rhetoric, founded solidly upon the Word. Highly recommended.
February 6, 2017
I loved this book, savoring it a few pages at a time on my lunch breaks. It packs the punch of a textbook, but it doesn't read like one, because it's filled with striking metaphors and vivid prose (not normally characteristics of textbooks).
The authors define rhetoric as "the art of a good man speaking well", and then proceed to outline that journey for the reader, covering the basics of reading, logic, writing, and speaking. Of course, all of this is done from a distinctively Christian worldview, because (as the authors make clear) this is the only foundation that can support these pursuits. The chapters on copiousness, the rhythm of words, and metaphor were fascinating. Can't wait to do the book debrief on this one.
If the idea of rhetoric seems dry and dusty (maybe even a little shady), you should read this book. If you want to learn to write and speak sincerely (ethos), truthfully (logos), and passionately (pathos), you should read this book. If you're suffocating under the avalanche of nonsense from news outlets, social media, and (at times) even your own heart, you should read this book. It will give you a love and appreciation for the power and beauty of words and the tools to spot when they're being hi-jacked.
The authors define rhetoric as "the art of a good man speaking well", and then proceed to outline that journey for the reader, covering the basics of reading, logic, writing, and speaking. Of course, all of this is done from a distinctively Christian worldview, because (as the authors make clear) this is the only foundation that can support these pursuits. The chapters on copiousness, the rhythm of words, and metaphor were fascinating. Can't wait to do the book debrief on this one.
If the idea of rhetoric seems dry and dusty (maybe even a little shady), you should read this book. If you want to learn to write and speak sincerely (ethos), truthfully (logos), and passionately (pathos), you should read this book. If you're suffocating under the avalanche of nonsense from news outlets, social media, and (at times) even your own heart, you should read this book. It will give you a love and appreciation for the power and beauty of words and the tools to spot when they're being hi-jacked.
July 22, 2012
The book is designed to be used in a classroom setting and includes reading assignments as well as practical homework assignments. Honestly, I wish I had been taught this stuff (and understood it and cared to learn it) when I was in high school.
The Wilsons bring a wealth of experience and practice to this text. It's clear that the Christian use of rhetoric (and yes, there is such a thing) is not just a theory they believe but an art they practice. And they practice it well. So well, that you will want to keep reading! Only the Wilsons could make rhetoric this interesting and even entertaining.
For any pastors who might be interestted in this book, I found the content helpful for thinking about preaching well. However, their primary aim is merely speaking well and not all that they say would necessarily apply to preaching.
Certainly recommended to anyone interested in learning the art of speaking well and who wants to enjoy themselves while they learn about it.
April 13, 2025
The Rhetoric Companion by Douglas and N.D. Wilson is a thoroughly engaging and accessible introduction to classical rhetoric, infused with wit and a thoughtful Christian perspective. The book provides a clear and practical overview of Aristotle’s five canons, while also incorporating contemporary examples that resonate with modern students. The Wilsons balance depth and brevity, ensuring that complex concepts are not only understandable but also enjoyable. With its approachable style, the book has proven itself a valuable resource in my classroom, offering both structure and flexibility for high school students studying rhetoric. The text is more than just a guide to the art of persuasion—it’s an invitation to speak with purpose, clarity, and a bit of good humor. Having used it multiple times in teaching rhetoric, I can attest to its success in helping students hone their skills while fostering an appreciation for the craft of well-spoken truth.
March 27, 2012
Purchased via recommendation of a source I trust. And the fact that two of the most enthralling writers I appreciate wrote it.
This is basically a textbook for a classical school. Wonderfully helpful and will be a good resource to go back to over time (e.g. fallacies, deconstructing poetry, etc.) I am actually feeling saucy and kind of want to start reading a dictionary (seriously), pick up Latin again (stopped in high school), and start reading/writing poetry (who knew!)
I'll honestly probably buy more of the classical material that the Wilsons use at St. Andrews just to help sharpen my thinking especially since I'll be graduating from college here in a few months.
This is basically a textbook for a classical school. Wonderfully helpful and will be a good resource to go back to over time (e.g. fallacies, deconstructing poetry, etc.) I am actually feeling saucy and kind of want to start reading a dictionary (seriously), pick up Latin again (stopped in high school), and start reading/writing poetry (who knew!)
I'll honestly probably buy more of the classical material that the Wilsons use at St. Andrews just to help sharpen my thinking especially since I'll be graduating from college here in a few months.
April 29, 2014
This was a slightly awkward book. It’s billed and organized as a textbook, but doesn’t read like one at all. While the book is thoughtful and informative, I couldn’t help wishing that the rhetorical cutesy-ness had been ratcheted down a few notches. And this is coming from someone who generally loves the Wilsons' creative style. It just doesn’t seem fitting for a textbook to read like a series of blog posts.
May 12, 2016
This book is exactly what it claims to be -- a companion. It does not work as a stand-alone textbook, but it works very well accompanied with Quintilian, Cicero, and even modern writers. The Wilsons are pithy, intelligent, and winsome. Where they especially succeed is in applying ancient -- and what can sometimes seem boring -- rhetorical principals and theory to a modern context.
Read
June 6, 2011Fun stuff. It's text-bookish, but the Wilson duo are punchy and light so as to keep things moving and interesting. See a short reflection of it here.
January 11, 2012
Surprised at how Wilson can make rhetoric so interesting and even funny. A great resource for students and teachers who are trying to understand a Biblical basis for persuasion in speech and also writing.
April 17, 2014
Fantastic as a companion for rhetoric studies and the general curriculum of classical education...you know...like the name suggests. Not so good for what I was looking for, which was a stand-alone text to introduce rhetoric in an understandable and fun way.
June 12, 2012
Some parts were a 3, other parts absolutely a 5. Love the holistic, practical take on the art of rhetoric. Actually a good resource for pastors and teachers in the Church.
November 10, 2014
Just getting started. Footnotes alone are worth the price.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews