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Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric
Rhetoric, one of the oldest academic disciplines, has two faces: first, the art of using language to influence or persuade; second, the body of established patterns of language, spoken or written, that makes words and phrases memorable, emphatic, and effective. There are very few recent books that tackle the subject, and in this new effort, written with the scholar and orator in mind, Farnsworth collects and discusses the great masters of English prose Lincoln and Churchill, Dickens and Melville, Burke and Paine and, using their own words, proceeds to organize, illustrate, and analyze the most frequently used rhetorical devices with clarity and detail.
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. Here, distilled from the best examples in our language, we see those principles in actual use: for the general reader it is an indispensable guide, a highly useful reference, and a rewarding (and even entertaining) source of instruction.
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. Here, distilled from the best examples in our language, we see those principles in actual use: for the general reader it is an indispensable guide, a highly useful reference, and a rewarding (and even entertaining) source of instruction.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2010
320 people are currently reading
1692 people want to read
About the author
Ward Farnsworth
24 books260 followersWard Farnsworth is Dean and John Jeffers Research Chair at the University of Texas School of Law. He formerly was Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at the Boston University Law School. He has served as a law clerk to Anthony M. Kennedy of the United States Supreme Court and to Richard A. Posner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and worked as a Legal Adviser to the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in the Hague. He received his J.D. with high honors from the University of Chicago Law School, and his B.A. from Wesleyan University.
Farnsworth is the author of books on law, philosophy, rhetoric, and chess. He also has published scholarly articles on the economic analysis of law, constitutional law, statutory interpretation, jurisprudence, and cognitive psychology. He serves as Reporter for the American Law Institute’s Restatement Third, Torts: Liability for Economic Harm.
Farnsworth is the author of books on law, philosophy, rhetoric, and chess. He also has published scholarly articles on the economic analysis of law, constitutional law, statutory interpretation, jurisprudence, and cognitive psychology. He serves as Reporter for the American Law Institute’s Restatement Third, Torts: Liability for Economic Harm.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
September 11, 2022
I have been looking for something like this for many years. A text which clearly explains how rhetorical figures are used in English and provides compelling examples for each. Here's a list of just Part III:
DRAMATIC DEVICES:
13. Saying things by not saying them: Praeteritio, p. 166
14. Breaking off in midstream: Aposiopesis, p. 182
15. Correcting oneself: Metanoia, p. 194
16. Rhetorical uses of the negative: Litotes, p. 204
17. Rhetorical questions: Erotema, p. 212
18. Asking questions and answering them: Hypophora
Anticipating objections and meeting them: Prolepsis, p. 226
There are marvelous examples from Lincoln, Twain, Dickens, Pitt, de Quincy, Melville, Hawthorne, Churchill, Shakespeare, Burke, Chesterton, Fielding, Richardson, Adams, Scott, Johnson, Gladstone, Shelley, Shaw, Byron, Stevenson, Trollope, and the Scriptures. Moreover, the book doesn't have to be read in a linear fashion, one can flip through it as one pleases. I'm grateful to Mr. Farnsworth for his efforts. I only wish the book were longer.
DRAMATIC DEVICES:
13. Saying things by not saying them: Praeteritio, p. 166
14. Breaking off in midstream: Aposiopesis, p. 182
15. Correcting oneself: Metanoia, p. 194
16. Rhetorical uses of the negative: Litotes, p. 204
17. Rhetorical questions: Erotema, p. 212
18. Asking questions and answering them: Hypophora
Anticipating objections and meeting them: Prolepsis, p. 226
There are marvelous examples from Lincoln, Twain, Dickens, Pitt, de Quincy, Melville, Hawthorne, Churchill, Shakespeare, Burke, Chesterton, Fielding, Richardson, Adams, Scott, Johnson, Gladstone, Shelley, Shaw, Byron, Stevenson, Trollope, and the Scriptures. Moreover, the book doesn't have to be read in a linear fashion, one can flip through it as one pleases. I'm grateful to Mr. Farnsworth for his efforts. I only wish the book were longer.
August 3, 2011
Now I have a pressing need to orate.
July 5, 2020
Ward Farnsworth has the name of someone who would write a book called Classical English Rhetoric, doesn’t he?
He says, in the preface, his reason for titling it such— “classical” because he feels it’s a dying art, and “English” because he focuses on the English language since 1500 or so. Reasonable enough.
Virtually all of the devices contained herein are familiar to us in use, but most are not in name. Farnsworth defines the rhetorical device, and then gives examples— sourcing heavily from Shakespeare, Dickens, political speakers (especially Churchill), and the Bible, though a number of other authors also get sourced. He then fine-tunes the different ways that device may be used, for what purpose, the effect it tends to have on the listener, and ways they can be combined.
A quick outline with illustrative examples:
1. Simple Repetition
a. Epimone (repetition of phrases)
--The horror! The horror!
b.Conduplicatio (repeating a word with other words in between)
--Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.
c. Epizeuxis (repeating a word consecutively)
--Lies! Lies! Lies!
d. Emphasized repetition (where the speaker alerts the listener to the repetition)
--The war is inevitable, and let it come! I repeat, sir, let it come!
e. Epanalepsis (the same word/phrase is used at the beginning and end of a sentence,
or several sentences)
--The King is dead. Long live the King!
2. Anaphora (repetition at the start)
--With my own tears I awash away my balm. With my own hands I give away my crown. With my own tongue deny my sacred state.
3. Epistrophe (repetition at the end)
--That government of the people, by the people, for the people
4. Symploce (repetition at the start and end)
--We do not need a censorship of the press. We have a censorship by the press.
5. Anadiplosis (repeating the ending at the beginning— making a chain)
--We glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience, and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed.
6. Polyptoton (repetition of the root with different ending)
--It is not kill or be killed with them, but pay or be paid.
7. Isocolon (parallel structure)
--They who bow to the enemy abroad, will not be of power to subdue the conspirator at home.
--Kings will be tyrants from policy, when subjects are rebels from principle.
a. Antithesis (parallel structure to contrast two things)
--Our former minister betrayed the interests of his country by his pusillanimity; our present minister would sacrifice them by his Quixoticism.
8. Chiasmus (reversal of structure)
--We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.
9. Anastrophe (inversion of expected word order)
--My crown I am, but still my griefs are mine.
10. Polysyndeton (using extra conjunctions)
--I fumed and sweated and charged and ranted till I was hoarse and sick and frantic and furious.
11. Asyndeton (leaving out conjunctions)
--There we meet the slime of hypocrisy, the varnish of courts, the cant of pedantry, the cobwebs of the law, the iron hand of power.
12. Ellipses (leaving out words)
--As fire drives out fire, so pity pity.
--As war begets poverty; poverty peace.
13. Praeteritio (saying things by not saying them)
--I shall make no address to your passions. I will not remind you of the long and rigorous imprisonment he has suffered. I will not speak to you of his great youth.
--I will not call him villain, because it would be unparliamentary.
14. Aposiopesis (breaking off midstream)
--I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray. Then — but I don’t know how to explain it to you.
15. Metanoia (correcting oneself)
--I believe— nay, I know— that in general our officers and soldiers are humane.
--I am old and infirm. I have one foot— more than one foot— in the grave.
16. Litotes (avoiding making a specific claim, but instead denying the opposite)
--I consent to this Constitution, because I expect no better, and because I am not sure that it is not the best.
--We had gone, not to scoff, but very probably to smile, and I will not say we did not.
17. Erotema (rhetorical questions)
--Have you ever read or known of folly equal to this? Can you conceive of a crime more odious and abominable?
18. Hypophora (asking questions and answering them)
--What is fame to this feeling? The babbling of an idiot!
19. Prolepsis (anticipating objections and meeting them)
--It may be objected, that very wise men have been notoriously avaricious. I answer, Not wise in that instance.
VERDICT:
Is it a gripping read? No. Is it useful to review these devices if you regularly read or write persuasively? Yes! Also, using these terms in casual conversation makes you sound like a nerd, which is great.
He says, in the preface, his reason for titling it such— “classical” because he feels it’s a dying art, and “English” because he focuses on the English language since 1500 or so. Reasonable enough.
Virtually all of the devices contained herein are familiar to us in use, but most are not in name. Farnsworth defines the rhetorical device, and then gives examples— sourcing heavily from Shakespeare, Dickens, political speakers (especially Churchill), and the Bible, though a number of other authors also get sourced. He then fine-tunes the different ways that device may be used, for what purpose, the effect it tends to have on the listener, and ways they can be combined.
A quick outline with illustrative examples:
1. Simple Repetition
a. Epimone (repetition of phrases)
--The horror! The horror!
b.Conduplicatio (repeating a word with other words in between)
--Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.
c. Epizeuxis (repeating a word consecutively)
--Lies! Lies! Lies!
d. Emphasized repetition (where the speaker alerts the listener to the repetition)
--The war is inevitable, and let it come! I repeat, sir, let it come!
e. Epanalepsis (the same word/phrase is used at the beginning and end of a sentence,
or several sentences)
--The King is dead. Long live the King!
2. Anaphora (repetition at the start)
--With my own tears I awash away my balm. With my own hands I give away my crown. With my own tongue deny my sacred state.
3. Epistrophe (repetition at the end)
--That government of the people, by the people, for the people
4. Symploce (repetition at the start and end)
--We do not need a censorship of the press. We have a censorship by the press.
5. Anadiplosis (repeating the ending at the beginning— making a chain)
--We glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience, and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed.
6. Polyptoton (repetition of the root with different ending)
--It is not kill or be killed with them, but pay or be paid.
7. Isocolon (parallel structure)
--They who bow to the enemy abroad, will not be of power to subdue the conspirator at home.
--Kings will be tyrants from policy, when subjects are rebels from principle.
a. Antithesis (parallel structure to contrast two things)
--Our former minister betrayed the interests of his country by his pusillanimity; our present minister would sacrifice them by his Quixoticism.
8. Chiasmus (reversal of structure)
--We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.
9. Anastrophe (inversion of expected word order)
--My crown I am, but still my griefs are mine.
10. Polysyndeton (using extra conjunctions)
--I fumed and sweated and charged and ranted till I was hoarse and sick and frantic and furious.
11. Asyndeton (leaving out conjunctions)
--There we meet the slime of hypocrisy, the varnish of courts, the cant of pedantry, the cobwebs of the law, the iron hand of power.
12. Ellipses (leaving out words)
--As fire drives out fire, so pity pity.
--As war begets poverty; poverty peace.
13. Praeteritio (saying things by not saying them)
--I shall make no address to your passions. I will not remind you of the long and rigorous imprisonment he has suffered. I will not speak to you of his great youth.
--I will not call him villain, because it would be unparliamentary.
14. Aposiopesis (breaking off midstream)
--I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray. Then — but I don’t know how to explain it to you.
15. Metanoia (correcting oneself)
--I believe— nay, I know— that in general our officers and soldiers are humane.
--I am old and infirm. I have one foot— more than one foot— in the grave.
16. Litotes (avoiding making a specific claim, but instead denying the opposite)
--I consent to this Constitution, because I expect no better, and because I am not sure that it is not the best.
--We had gone, not to scoff, but very probably to smile, and I will not say we did not.
17. Erotema (rhetorical questions)
--Have you ever read or known of folly equal to this? Can you conceive of a crime more odious and abominable?
18. Hypophora (asking questions and answering them)
--What is fame to this feeling? The babbling of an idiot!
19. Prolepsis (anticipating objections and meeting them)
--It may be objected, that very wise men have been notoriously avaricious. I answer, Not wise in that instance.
VERDICT:
Is it a gripping read? No. Is it useful to review these devices if you regularly read or write persuasively? Yes! Also, using these terms in casual conversation makes you sound like a nerd, which is great.
February 4, 2011
I read a review of this book in the Wall Street Journal. I couldn't sample it online, and so bought it on faith, with a hope that it would be educational and enjoyable. I was not disappointed.
I've read several books on rhetoric, and I was familiar with some of the the devices described in this book. Where it excels is in having many examples of rhetoric in action. The author's commentary is concise and quite helpful.
I actually fell in love with this book from reading the introduction - a fine piece of writing on its own.
I read this book with colored pencils in hand, and I'm sure I'll refer to it in the future.
I've read several books on rhetoric, and I was familiar with some of the the devices described in this book. Where it excels is in having many examples of rhetoric in action. The author's commentary is concise and quite helpful.
I actually fell in love with this book from reading the introduction - a fine piece of writing on its own.
I read this book with colored pencils in hand, and I'm sure I'll refer to it in the future.
May 21, 2016
I first start learning English by reading classics. I was taught to write in a way that should strictly adhere to the grammar rules. The strange placing of words in those classics puzzled me. Conjunction can be missing or one word can follow another without verb. Some of them also double negatives which are discouraged by all teachers and most literary critics, not least by George Orwell in his famous essay Politics and the English language .
It is only now that I understand that those are not only accepted forms of writing but are rhetorical devices. The missing conjunction can be asyndeton , the absence of verb anadiplosis and double negatives litotes . We are never taught of those devices because, I suspect, the rise of the linguistic discipline displace the study of rhetoric. Only more senior students have brief glimpse of them when they engage in literary studies.
Farnsworth selected examples from various sources - novels, plays, essays, speeches, legal submission, even biblical passages. This is a relatively short book with less than 300 pages, but the details are enormous. It will likely influence my style of writing which, you might have already noticed, is convoluted and unnecessarily lengthy.
It is only now that I understand that those are not only accepted forms of writing but are rhetorical devices. The missing conjunction can be asyndeton , the absence of verb anadiplosis and double negatives litotes . We are never taught of those devices because, I suspect, the rise of the linguistic discipline displace the study of rhetoric. Only more senior students have brief glimpse of them when they engage in literary studies.
Farnsworth selected examples from various sources - novels, plays, essays, speeches, legal submission, even biblical passages. This is a relatively short book with less than 300 pages, but the details are enormous. It will likely influence my style of writing which, you might have already noticed, is convoluted and unnecessarily lengthy.
August 17, 2020
Useful overview of a bunch of different figures of speech. 75% of this book is examples, but honestly that's the most important thing students can have if they want to learn how to use these figures of speech (examples along with practice). The wealth of examples Farnsworth has here from skilled English authors is excellent, and his occasional commentary is helpful as well. How this is best used to teach students rhetoric (as a textbook or just as a reference) could be debated, but certainly as a teacher having this collection of listed tropes and copious examples of each trope is a very fine tool to have in my instructional toolbox.
Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).
Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).
May 16, 2014
This was an informative, useful and at times fun to read intermediate level reference on English Rhetoric. Every writer at some point should pick up a copy.
It is not something to read in one sitting, nor is it something to read only once, as there is a lot of sometimes complex information packed into this small volume. But as something to refer to, and re-read in pieces over time, it presents with quite the value for the wordsmith.
It introduced me to some writers and speakers I otherwise might not have encountered, but whom now I will at least investigate further. (If for no other reasons then to read the rest of the speeches from which the excellent examples are drawn.)
That being said, I found it to at times be a bit thick, repetitive beyond what was required to make the point, and unnecessarily convoluted when presenting examples that bore little difference from the wealth of examples already provided.
To the uninitiated, the author complicates the issues by explaining a concept, supplying plentiful examples, and then sub-categorizing to such a degree that what would otherwise have been a simple concept takes on the appearance of being rather complex.
For example, if a recipe book were to be laid out in a similar fashion, the text would define salad, explain how to create same, proceed to elaborate on different types of salad, as well as with what other foods they may be safely paired. Not enough for some, more than is needed for others, but a logical amount of information for most. Using such a book would explain the nature of say, a Caesar salad. The reader could probably assume that certain salads would proceed to fall under this umbrella.
Yet to extend this metaphor, the book at times would use long lists to distinguish a Caesar salad served in a wooden bowl, from a Caesar salad served in a glass bowl. And than one served in a plastic bowl. And finally, one served on a plate instead of a bowl, (a plate which could also be wooden, glass, or plastic.)
In every case above, the salad itself is unchanged. It is merely served in different receptacles. While a valid technical difference does exist, are four more pages of such elaboration really making the concept of a Caesar salad any clearer to the reader? I would suggest they do not, and at times initial clarity becomes muddied with so much specificity.
However on the whole, a treasure for language enthusiasts. I will be reading it again in pieces for years to come, and applying its lessons to my own writing and speaking. (Some of which I already recognized in the definitions given in the book. Another of its strengths being to define what is already familiar to us, subconsciously.)
It is not something to read in one sitting, nor is it something to read only once, as there is a lot of sometimes complex information packed into this small volume. But as something to refer to, and re-read in pieces over time, it presents with quite the value for the wordsmith.
It introduced me to some writers and speakers I otherwise might not have encountered, but whom now I will at least investigate further. (If for no other reasons then to read the rest of the speeches from which the excellent examples are drawn.)
That being said, I found it to at times be a bit thick, repetitive beyond what was required to make the point, and unnecessarily convoluted when presenting examples that bore little difference from the wealth of examples already provided.
To the uninitiated, the author complicates the issues by explaining a concept, supplying plentiful examples, and then sub-categorizing to such a degree that what would otherwise have been a simple concept takes on the appearance of being rather complex.
For example, if a recipe book were to be laid out in a similar fashion, the text would define salad, explain how to create same, proceed to elaborate on different types of salad, as well as with what other foods they may be safely paired. Not enough for some, more than is needed for others, but a logical amount of information for most. Using such a book would explain the nature of say, a Caesar salad. The reader could probably assume that certain salads would proceed to fall under this umbrella.
Yet to extend this metaphor, the book at times would use long lists to distinguish a Caesar salad served in a wooden bowl, from a Caesar salad served in a glass bowl. And than one served in a plastic bowl. And finally, one served on a plate instead of a bowl, (a plate which could also be wooden, glass, or plastic.)
In every case above, the salad itself is unchanged. It is merely served in different receptacles. While a valid technical difference does exist, are four more pages of such elaboration really making the concept of a Caesar salad any clearer to the reader? I would suggest they do not, and at times initial clarity becomes muddied with so much specificity.
However on the whole, a treasure for language enthusiasts. I will be reading it again in pieces for years to come, and applying its lessons to my own writing and speaking. (Some of which I already recognized in the definitions given in the book. Another of its strengths being to define what is already familiar to us, subconsciously.)
November 9, 2012
"Not only educational but delightful."
- David Mamet
"Every writer should have this book."
- Erin McKean, editor of Verbatim: The Language Quarterly
"The best introduction to rhetorical figures which has yet appeared.
An essential reference for anyone who studies verbal style."
- Richard A. Lanham, Professor Emeritus of English,UCLA
"Mandatory for persons involved in public speaking, this book should prove
indispensable also to writers wishing to improve their literary style."
- John Simon, author of Paradigms Lost
"I must refrain from shouting what a brilliant work this is (præteritio).
Farnsworth has written the book as he ought to have written it – and as
only he could have written it (symploce). Buy it and read it –
buy it and read it (epimone)."
- Bryan A. Garner, author of The Elements of Legal Style
"Many things, from dictators to advertising, have made modern people
suspicious of and cynical about language mobilized to move us. Fortunately,
Ward Farnsworth's delightful swim in a sea of well-chosen words should help
to rehabilitate the reputation of rhetoric."
- George F. Will, syndicated columnist
"Ward Farnsworth's invaluable review of classical English rhetoric is not only
a vital tool for aiding clear expression, but a timely reminder that, despite the
confusion of the present technological age, human nature, and our ability
to communicate in clear and often beautiful ways, are unchanging."
- Victor Davis Hanson, co-author of Who Killed Homer?: The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom
- David Mamet
"Every writer should have this book."
- Erin McKean, editor of Verbatim: The Language Quarterly
"The best introduction to rhetorical figures which has yet appeared.
An essential reference for anyone who studies verbal style."
- Richard A. Lanham, Professor Emeritus of English,UCLA
"Mandatory for persons involved in public speaking, this book should prove
indispensable also to writers wishing to improve their literary style."
- John Simon, author of Paradigms Lost
"I must refrain from shouting what a brilliant work this is (præteritio).
Farnsworth has written the book as he ought to have written it – and as
only he could have written it (symploce). Buy it and read it –
buy it and read it (epimone)."
- Bryan A. Garner, author of The Elements of Legal Style
"Many things, from dictators to advertising, have made modern people
suspicious of and cynical about language mobilized to move us. Fortunately,
Ward Farnsworth's delightful swim in a sea of well-chosen words should help
to rehabilitate the reputation of rhetoric."
- George F. Will, syndicated columnist
"Ward Farnsworth's invaluable review of classical English rhetoric is not only
a vital tool for aiding clear expression, but a timely reminder that, despite the
confusion of the present technological age, human nature, and our ability
to communicate in clear and often beautiful ways, are unchanging."
- Victor Davis Hanson, co-author of Who Killed Homer?: The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom
December 21, 2013
The value of this book is not in the descriptions of rhetorical devices, but in the examples provided from some of the masters of the language. The mix of samples from literature and speeches show the potential for each device in a range of circumstances and uses. The book is divided well into related devices, placing less emphasis on the technical names of each device and more on their use for the writer and speaker of the English language. The choice to limit using translations primarily to Biblical quotations benefits the reader by giving examples composed in English. Readers looking for a complete treatment of rhetorical devices are better served looking elsewhere, but readers seeking a treatment of more popular devices through immersion cannot go wrong with this book.
October 17, 2019
Fabulous! I listened to the audiobook (and bought the softcover book AND Kindle version) and the narrators are very high quality, adjusting the voice based on the author (Churchill, Dickens, Melville, e.g.). Listening is like sitting with the best English speakers and authors for hours. Example after high quality example. I will be reading this again and again.
2019: May two daughters read this and loved it as well. We plan on making flashcards of the rhetorical techniques covered in the book.
2019: May two daughters read this and loved it as well. We plan on making flashcards of the rhetorical techniques covered in the book.
April 24, 2011
I really loved this, though I skimmed it due to my brain being at capacity.
August 1, 2011
If this book were the highway, I read it fast enough that I caught only every fifth mile marker, but I still enjoyed the ride and I know right where to go if I want to catch the other four.
Want to read
June 22, 2020WSJ gave it a good review here, https://www.wsj.com/articles/farnswor...
"Many style books urge writers to favor simple words over bigger ones, and that is not terrible advice, but Mr. Farnsworth asks us to distinguish between Saxon and Latinate words and to set them against each other to achieve various outcomes. Saxon words are Germanic in origin and tend to be short (good, light, man, house). Latinate words, typically multisyllabic and more abstract, came to English through French and often appear as different parts of speech (proper, property, propriety, appropriate). Now consider what Mr. Farnsworth calls the “Saxon finish”: rendering the bulk of a sentence or paragraph in Latinate words, and ending with Saxon plainness. Thus Burke: “Taxing is an easy business. Any projector can contrive new impositions, any bungler can add to the old.” Or Churchill: “The truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it, ignorance may deride it, malice may distort it, but there it is.” The last four monosyllables capture the point."
Indeed. TBR, when we have a library again....
"Many style books urge writers to favor simple words over bigger ones, and that is not terrible advice, but Mr. Farnsworth asks us to distinguish between Saxon and Latinate words and to set them against each other to achieve various outcomes. Saxon words are Germanic in origin and tend to be short (good, light, man, house). Latinate words, typically multisyllabic and more abstract, came to English through French and often appear as different parts of speech (proper, property, propriety, appropriate). Now consider what Mr. Farnsworth calls the “Saxon finish”: rendering the bulk of a sentence or paragraph in Latinate words, and ending with Saxon plainness. Thus Burke: “Taxing is an easy business. Any projector can contrive new impositions, any bungler can add to the old.” Or Churchill: “The truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it, ignorance may deride it, malice may distort it, but there it is.” The last four monosyllables capture the point."
Indeed. TBR, when we have a library again....
January 10, 2024
A fascinating explanation of the rhetorical devices used by great writers and orators over the centuries. The descriptions of the devices are clear and make sense, but part of me wonders if the majority of authors and orators were consciously aware of their use at the time.
May 31, 2024
This is one of those books that made me wish I had a photographic memory. The quotes alone are worth the price of the book. It was definitely worth my time and attention!
December 27, 2019
When I took up public speaking class last year with the The African Centre for Public Speaking, we had recommended texts that we needed to read. I have since read “Don't Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate: The Essential Guide for Progressives” by George Lakoff and Jay Heinrichs’ “Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion”. There are others I am yet to read. This week, I have been reading (well, listening to the audiobook) Farnsworth’s Classical English Rhetoric by Ward Farnsworth. I have finished it and I can share with you my thoughts about the book.
So, what is Farnsworth’s Classical English Rhetoric book all about? Don’t be put off by the title. It might sound obfuscated but the book is quite exciting. Fansworth, A Boston Law Professor, has identified 18 rhetorical devices that make for a great speech or text. What really stands out about the book is the use of multiple examples. One of the rhetorical devices is repetition (or epizeuxis or epimone). There is an example given of de Gaulle. France had just fallen to the Nazis, and de Gaulle was speaking to the people of his country by radio from London:
Car la France n’est pas seule! Elle n’est pas seule! Elle n’est pas seule!
(For France is not alone! She is not alone! She is not alone!)
(If you hear the audio, you get the maximum effect)
And there’s that famous quote in Othello:
Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial. My reputation, Iago, my reputation!
These kinds of styles. Eighteen of them. Anaphora (the repetition at the start), anadiplosis (repeating the ending at the beginning), and so on. And Chiasmus, the famous one being John Kennedy’s ‘ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country’. You might have also noticed that in my writings, I love using the word ‘and’. It is not accidental. It is one of the devices that I use for good effect and it always gives me pleasure to recognise it in great speeches and writings. I need not list all the devices here but all I can say is that if you are fascinated by public speaking and rhetoric and feel ill-equipped, this is the book you need, next to your dictionary and thesaurus. I have finished reading this book but it is the kind of book to constantly refer to.
From my journey so far, I have noticed a serious gap in our education system. We are not taught rhetoric in the various degrees we undertake ( I am not sure about English Degree, though). The communication skills that we were taught in the university, and I don’t mean to demean it, is inadequate. Now I understand why we are given the power to read when we graduate. What we are cryptically told is to never for a moment think that what we have learnt is enough. And perhaps that is the beauty of education after all: to pique our curiosity.
So, what is Farnsworth’s Classical English Rhetoric book all about? Don’t be put off by the title. It might sound obfuscated but the book is quite exciting. Fansworth, A Boston Law Professor, has identified 18 rhetorical devices that make for a great speech or text. What really stands out about the book is the use of multiple examples. One of the rhetorical devices is repetition (or epizeuxis or epimone). There is an example given of de Gaulle. France had just fallen to the Nazis, and de Gaulle was speaking to the people of his country by radio from London:
Car la France n’est pas seule! Elle n’est pas seule! Elle n’est pas seule!
(For France is not alone! She is not alone! She is not alone!)
(If you hear the audio, you get the maximum effect)
And there’s that famous quote in Othello:
Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial. My reputation, Iago, my reputation!
These kinds of styles. Eighteen of them. Anaphora (the repetition at the start), anadiplosis (repeating the ending at the beginning), and so on. And Chiasmus, the famous one being John Kennedy’s ‘ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country’. You might have also noticed that in my writings, I love using the word ‘and’. It is not accidental. It is one of the devices that I use for good effect and it always gives me pleasure to recognise it in great speeches and writings. I need not list all the devices here but all I can say is that if you are fascinated by public speaking and rhetoric and feel ill-equipped, this is the book you need, next to your dictionary and thesaurus. I have finished reading this book but it is the kind of book to constantly refer to.
From my journey so far, I have noticed a serious gap in our education system. We are not taught rhetoric in the various degrees we undertake ( I am not sure about English Degree, though). The communication skills that we were taught in the university, and I don’t mean to demean it, is inadequate. Now I understand why we are given the power to read when we graduate. What we are cryptically told is to never for a moment think that what we have learnt is enough. And perhaps that is the beauty of education after all: to pique our curiosity.
November 19, 2016
Pretty straightforward work: Farnsworth examines the most common and effective tools of rhetoric, both written and spoken, and then provides classic examples of each. Many, many examples of each form of rhetoric, demonstrating the various ways in which they can be used. He deals with epizeuxis, epimone, anaphora (repetition at the start), epistrophe (repetition at the end), symploce (repetition at both start and end), anadiplosis (repeating the ending at the beginning), polyptoton (repeating roots), isocolon (parallel structure), chiasmus (reversal of structure), anastrophe (inversion), and many many more. He explains their multifaceted uses quite well, and then provides wonderfully rich examples. To give just a taste, I will list the sources quoted on just one page, chosen entirely at random:
-Burke, Reflection on the Revolution in France
-Dickens, Little Dorrit
-Shaw, Major Barbara
-Chesterton, What's Wrong with the World
-Matthew 22:21
This work is probably better suited for reference, but reading it straight through will certainly attenuate your ears and eyes to classic rhetoric, and hopefully enable the reader to employ such tools himself.
-Burke, Reflection on the Revolution in France
-Dickens, Little Dorrit
-Shaw, Major Barbara
-Chesterton, What's Wrong with the World
-Matthew 22:21
This work is probably better suited for reference, but reading it straight through will certainly attenuate your ears and eyes to classic rhetoric, and hopefully enable the reader to employ such tools himself.
September 3, 2011
In the upper level high school Latin and Greek classes I teach, I spend a lot of time with figures like chiasmus, metonomy, anastrophe, asyndeton, polysyndeton, litotes and many others. Identifying them in classical authors (e.g. Ovid, Homer, Vergil and Catullus) and discussing how they enhance a particular sentence is a fundamental part of what we do in each class. Students enjoy this enormously and are thrilled when they discover that many of these rhetorical and figurative expressions are found in the best English authors.
Farnsworth's book is an excellent compendium of rhetorical figures as exemplified in the prose works of English authors, such as Lincoln, Dickens, Chesterton, Shaw, Twain, Emerson, Burke, Thoreau, and last but not least, Churchill. There are no quotations from the poets, however. For a similar treatment, see: Figures of Speech which is equally good.
Farnsworth's book is an excellent compendium of rhetorical figures as exemplified in the prose works of English authors, such as Lincoln, Dickens, Chesterton, Shaw, Twain, Emerson, Burke, Thoreau, and last but not least, Churchill. There are no quotations from the poets, however. For a similar treatment, see: Figures of Speech which is equally good.
March 20, 2021
I cannot imagine this topic having been covered any better. The forms of rhetoric are presented, and then supported with ample examples from novels and from speeches. Chuchill, Johnson, Shakespeare, the Irish Parliament, Lincoln, Dickens, Melville, Sterne, Shaw...........all appear over and over again along with numerous others. It's a delight just to listen to the examples, presented in several different voices.
Can I tell you the name of ONE rhetorical device and provide my own definition and example, just now? Well no...this was ALL brand new to me........but I plan on listening again to some of the chapters. Each is able to stand alone. Have also been thinking of using some of the devices in my own writing......these days we are writing more letters, after all......having abandoned Facebook, Twitter and Insta to the dust.
Can I tell you the name of ONE rhetorical device and provide my own definition and example, just now? Well no...this was ALL brand new to me........but I plan on listening again to some of the chapters. Each is able to stand alone. Have also been thinking of using some of the devices in my own writing......these days we are writing more letters, after all......having abandoned Facebook, Twitter and Insta to the dust.
March 16, 2019
Farnsworth has done an excellent job collecting classical quotations & passages and has categorized them by the rhetorical technique(s) they use. The collection is wonderful and features Churchill, Burke, Lincoln, Thoreau, Carlyle, Melville, Shakespeare, etc. Farnsworth mostly lets these giants speak for themselves, but adds just the right amount of context, analysis, and discussion to make their purposes and technique clear. Recommended for lovers of great literature and oratory.
September 28, 2018
This book is a treasure. Had I been in college when I read it, it would have made an English major of me. It is simply impossible to read without coming away with an enthusiasm for the subtlety, beauty, and joy of the English language, when employed by those with a mastery of it. A highly recommended introduction to a lost art.
December 13, 2011
The samples of the literary terms in classic works by famous authors really help you memorize the terms. Murphy even read the examples to help him memorize literary terms for his English semester exam.
March 19, 2012
This book is so dense with terms, it's silly. But even if you never remember what chiasmus or anastrophe are, the examples of the types of rhetorical language are unforgettable. A worthy read for anyone who loves the sound of language.
March 30, 2014
While many people might not find this to be a page turner, I really enjoyed the book. The author provided a number of examples of rhetorical figures and, as a result, I started to notice, and appreciate, them in other things I read. It made me want to read more in this area.
June 14, 2011
Wonderful resource for my AP class!
Want to read
October 3, 2011Read about it here: http://www.themillions.com/2011/04/a-...
August 17, 2012
A superior bathroom book for hardcore language enthusiasts.
March 6, 2013
Best book on categorizing figures of speech in English prose.
April 23, 2016
Difficult as an audiobook. But I must purchase a hard copy and add this one to my shelf. A great resource and full of examples from which to learn.
October 13, 2022
As he did in The Practicing Stoic, the author has written a summary that consists mostly of an organized collection of quotations, here to show examples of figures of speech used in spoken and written rhetoric. Each chapter is about a different figure of speech and these are divided into three categories: repetition of words and phrases, structural matters, and dramatic devices. The figures of speech are defined in English and by their Greek name as in “Simple Repetition of Words and Phrases: Epizeuxis…”
I think this work might be dull for someone without a particular interest in the topic. Even so, I found it frequently entertaining because of the many great example quotations. Farnsworth uses quotes from Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Webster, Thomas Paine, Herman Melville, The King James Bible, William Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, GK Chesterton, and many others. I enjoyed many of these, both as an example of the use of a particular figure of speech and in general.
Here are two examples:
1. For Litotes:
She was not quite what you call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot. Mark Twain
2. For Prolepsis:
"Although the fate of Poland stares them in the face, there are thoughtless dilettanti or purblind worldlings who sometimes ask us: "What is it that Britain and France are fighting for?" To this I answer: "If we left off fighting you would soon find out." Winston Churchill
I think this work might be dull for someone without a particular interest in the topic. Even so, I found it frequently entertaining because of the many great example quotations. Farnsworth uses quotes from Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Webster, Thomas Paine, Herman Melville, The King James Bible, William Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, GK Chesterton, and many others. I enjoyed many of these, both as an example of the use of a particular figure of speech and in general.
Here are two examples:
1. For Litotes:
She was not quite what you call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot. Mark Twain
2. For Prolepsis:
"Although the fate of Poland stares them in the face, there are thoughtless dilettanti or purblind worldlings who sometimes ask us: "What is it that Britain and France are fighting for?" To this I answer: "If we left off fighting you would soon find out." Winston Churchill
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