Classical Rhetoric and Modern Public Relations: An Isocratean Model

by Marsh; Charles

• ISBN13: 9780415626002
• ISBN10: 0415626005
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-10-16
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This book establishes and expands the theoretical foundations of modern public relations, a young and growing profession that lacked even a name until the 20th century, presenting Isocratean rhetoric as an instructive antecedent of modern public relations. As the discipline seeks guiding theories and paradigms, rhetorics - both ancient and modern - have proven to be fruitful fields for exploration, most especially Isocrates, who Roman rhetoricians including Cicero and Quintilian praised as "the master of all rhetoricians," favoring his theories over those of rivals such as Plato and Aristotle. By delineating the strategic value of Isocratean rhetoric to modern public relations, Marsh addresses the call for additional research into the philosophical, theoretical, and ethical origins of public relations and the call among scholars of classical rhetoric for modern relevance. Using the rhetorical methods of close reading and recuperation - of applying established philosophies to new disciplines - the book delineates the modern relevance of Isocratean rhetoric, a rhetoric that provides instructive antecedents for ethics, persuasion, education, strategic planning, new media, postmodern practices, and paradigms such as excellence theory, communitarianism, fully functioning society theory, and reflection. Because Isocrates maintained that stable relationships must solicit and honor dissent, marsh also analyzes both ancient and modern challenges to Isocratean rhetoric, moving forward to present a concise Isocratean model for modern public relations.