Lecture 3: New Rhetoric - Audience

Introduction

• Focus on the concept of Audience in New Rhetoric, the linchpin that ties ideas together.
• Perlman and Toulmin focus on tying human reason to value judgments.
• Perlman seeks a discourse on justice grounded in human reason.

Key Concept: Adherence

• Adherence is about conviction without absolute proof, backed by reason.
• Central idea to hold rhetorical methods together is Audience.

Two Concepts of Audience in New Rhetoric

• Universal Audience: Ensemble of all sane, rational humans willing to discuss a matter.
• Particular Audience: Specific group targeted by the writer to influence or persuade.

Characteristics of Audiences

• Universal Audience:
  • All rational, clear-thinking individuals willing to discuss.
  • Defined by connection to reality, ability to engage in discourse.
• Particular Audience:
  • Shares specific views, values, or beliefs.
  • Targeted by the rhetor through specific artifacts (e.g., speeches, ads).

Building Audiences

• Both audiences are constructed in the rhetor’s mind.
• Universal Audience: Based on what the rhetor considers reasonable.
• Particular Audience: Selected members from the universal audience focused on shared beliefs.

Analyzing Audience Relationships

• Critics assess the relationship between Universal and Particular Audiences.
• Three Key Questions:
  1. What does the writer think the Universal Audience looks like?
  2. Who is the Particular Audience in this case?
  3. How does the writer see the relationship between the Universal and Particular Audiences?

Appeals Used in Rhetoric

• Appeals to Real (facts, truths, presumptions) for Universal Audience.
• Appeals to Preference (values, hierarchies, loci) for Particular Audience.
• Critics analyze these appeals to understand audience targeting and relationships.

Understanding Fanaticism and Skepticism

• Fanaticism: Promotes conclusions above evidence; private feelings treated as convictions.
• Skepticism: Demotes conclusions below evidence; proof treated as mere conviction.
• Both are extremes that distort rational discourse.

Application in Criticism

• Critics evaluate how messages encourage or discourage connection between audiences.
• Analysis focuses on how appeals support or sever relationships between Universal and Particular Audiences.

Conclusion

• Adherence and audience relationships are central to New Rhetoric analysis.
• Critics should focus on the rhetorical process to understand the balance between universal and particular appeals.

This concludes the third and final installment on New Rhetoric, focusing on the concept of Audience and its critical role in rhetorical analysis.