Rhetoric, Marxism and Action: A Lesson from the Debate between Kenneth Burke and Fredric Jameson

• In Event: Civic Lessons on Ethics and Virtue in a Contested World

Abstract

This essay takes a close look at the ‘debate’ between Kenneth Burke and Fredric Jameson. Given that there have been rare encounters between rhetoricians and Marxists, this debate provides us with a rare opportunity to examine Marxism's relationship to rhetorical studies. Furthermore, it will be argued that the debate can not only reveal the commonalities and differences between two camps, but also provide a lesson that both rhetoric and Marxism need to learn, in terms of the object of critique.

Author

• Young Cheon Cho, University of Iowa