Con-texts of persuasion

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Con/Texts of Persuasion is a groundbreaking collection of essays examining how various forms of discourse—literary, political, religious, commercial, and philosophical—utilize strategies from linguistics, pragmatics, argumentation theory, rhetoric, and hermeneutics to influence thought and behavior. Persuasion is deeply rooted in context and culture, functioning as a dialogue-friendly rhetoric that can either facilitate understanding or serve as a tool for manipulation and propaganda. It can also act as a means of evading censure or enriching oratory with intertextual depth. By appealing to emotions, values, and subjectivity, persuasion can immerse readers in fictional worlds or emerge from the phonosemantic strategies found in poetry and advertising. The essays explore the situatedness of interpretive contexts in critical discourse, highlighting ideologically consonant and dissonant modes. This collection is essential for anyone interested in the persuasive capabilities of textual communication. The contents include discussions on literary language, totalitarian manipulations, intertextuality in famous speeches, rhetorical strategies in burlesque, and the interplay between sound and meaning, among other topics.