Neo-Aristotelian Criticism

World:

"Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice", the Fourth Edition book by Sonja K. Foss covers the topic of Neo-Aristotelian Criticism in Chapter Three. With Neo-Aristotelian Criticism being the first method of rhetorical criticism, it was unclear how this approach differed from that of literary criticism. It was necessary to differentiate between the two. Many of those intellects who specialized in communication hoped to progress the field, developing a unique identity so as to offer a specific approach to analyzing and criticizing culture.
Neo-Aristotelian Criticism looks to analyze certain aspects of the artifact in question that focus on the speaker. These aspects that a critic must look at include "the speaker's personality, the public character of the speaker or the public's perception of the speaker, the audience, the major ideas presented in the speech, the motives to which the speaker appealed, the nature of the speaker's proofs, the speaker's judgment of human nature in the audience, the arrangement of the speech, the speaker's method of speech preparation, the manner of delivery, and the effect of the discourse on the immediate audience and its long-term effects" (22). While looking at these elements the critic performing the rhetorical criticism must consider the speaker's means of communicated with the specified audience.
As reported by Foss, there are three basic steps in using the Neo-Aristotelian method to analyze an artifact which include reconstructing the context, applying the canon, and assessing the effects. In reconstructing the context it is important to survey the background of the speaker, analyze the occasion of the event which the artifact was presented, and by examining the audience who is being subjected to the rhetorical artifact. Next a critic would apply the canon of classical rhetoric. The characteristics of the canon are invention, organization, style, delivery, and memory. Lastly, in assessing the effects of the artifact, the critic interprets whether the intended goal of the rhetorical device was achieved and how effective it was in achieving that goal.