Rhetoric and Poetry in the Renaissance A Study of Rhetorical Terms in English Renaissance Literary Criticism

Rhetoric and Poetry in the Renaissance: A Study of Rhetorical Terms in English Renaissance Literary Criticism by Donald Lemen Clark offers a lucid tour of how classical rhetoric shaped English literary thought between 1553 and 1641. Clark, a scholar steeped in history and language, traces how rhetorical terminology—and the modes of thinking behind it—became the vocabulary critics used to define poetry, persuasion, and poetic purpose during the English Renaissance. Carefully researched and clearly argued, the book maps two principal influences: rhetoric’s effect on the general theory of poetry and its shaping of Renaissance ideas about poetry’s ends. Alongside the acknowledged Italian and classical sources, Clark illuminates a surprising persistence of medieval English traditions that colored critical discourse. Readers encounter discussions of key rhetorical terms, shifting critical priorities, and the intellectual context that linked grammar, rhetoric, and literary judgment in an era of dramatic cultural change. Ideal for students of literary history, scholars of rhetoric and language, and lovers of Renaissance literature, this audiobook blends historical scholarship with accessible analysis. Listen to deepen your understanding of how language and persuasion forged the foundations of modern literary criticism.