An anthology of original readings, Reading Rhetorical Theory uses selections from primary sources to track the history of thinking. Two features of this book enable it to stand apart from other
texts on rhetorical theory. First, its unique mix of readings blends traditional authors such as Aristotle, Plato, and Kenneth Burke with popular modern authors such as Karlyn Kohrs Campbell.
Second, the editorial introductions develop a consistent and unified perspective that allows for differing interpretations of rhetorical theory at the same time that it ties together the
history of the subject. Reading Rhetorical Theory is appropriate in graduate or undergraduate courses that cover the history of rhetorical theory by using primary sources to track the history
of thinking about human symbolic influence.