Neo-Aristotelianism is a view of

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

and

rhetorical criticism Rhetorical criticism analyzes the symbolic artifacts of discourse—the words, phrases, images, gestures, performances, texts, films, etc. that people use to communicate. Rhetorical analysis shows how the artifacts work, how well they work, and how ...

propagated by the Chicago School — Ronald S. Crane,

Elder Olson Elder James Olson (March 9, 1909 – July 25, 1992) was an American poet, teacher and literary critic. He was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended Carl Schurz High School. As an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, he published a v ...

Richard McKeon Richard McKeon (; April 26, 1900 – March 31, 1985) was an American philosopher and longtime professor at the University of Chicago. His ideas formed the basis for the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Life, times, and influences McKeo ...

Wayne Booth Wayne Clayson Booth (February 22, 1921, in American Fork, Utah – October 10, 2005, in Chicago, Illinois) was an American literary critic. He was the George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in English Language & Literature and ...

, and others — which means.

"A view of literature and criticism which takes a pluralistic attitude toward the history of literature and seeks to view literary works and critical theories intrinsically"

Neo-Aristotelianism was one of the first rhetorical methods of criticism. Its central features were first suggested in Herbert A. Wichelns' "The Literary Criticism of Oratory" in 1925. It focused on analyzing the methodology behind a speaker's ability to convey an idea to its audience. In 1943, Neo-Aristotelianism was further publicized, gaining popularity after William Norwood Brigance published ''A History and Criticism of American Public Address''. Unlike rhetorical criticism, which concentrates on the study of speeches and the immediate effect of rhetoric on an audience, Neo-Aristotelianism "led to the study of a single speaker because the sheer number of topics to cover relating to the rhetor and the speech made dealing with more than a single speaker virtually impossible. Thus, various speeches by different rhetors related by form of topic were not included in the scope of rhetorical criticism."

"The Literary Criticism of Oratory"

Wichelns' work was one of the first that introduced Neo-Aristotelianism. It narrowed down speech to 12 key topics to be studied, similar to many of the topics discussed by Aristotle in the ''Rhetoric''. His topics for speech critique include: * Speaker's personality * Character of the speaker (how the audience views a speaker) * Audience * Major ideas * Motives to which the speaker appealed * Nature of the speaker's proof (credibility) * Speaker's judgment of human nature in the audience * Arrangement * Mode of expression * Speech preparation * Delivery * Effect of the discourse on the immediate audience and long-term effects According to Mark S. Klyn, author of "Toward a Pluralistic Rhetorical Criticism," "The Literary Criticism of Oratory" provided "substance and structure to a study which heretofore had been formless and ephemeral ..it literally created the modern discipline of rhetorical criticism." Thus regardless of the lack of detail on these topics, it provided a modern structure of critiquing and analyzing speech via Neo-Aristotelianism, according to Donald C. Bryant.

References

Literary theory Rhetoric Philosophical theories {{lit-stub

"The Literary Criticism of Oratory"

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