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Farnsworth’s Classical English Rhetoric cover art

Farnsworth’s Classical English Rhetoric

By: Ward Farnsworth
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot, Jim Meskimen
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Summary

Masters of language can turn unassuming words into phrases that are beautiful, effective, and memorable. What are the secrets of this alchemy? Part of the answer lies in rhetorical figures: practical ways of applying great aesthetic principles—repetition and variety, suspense and relief, concealment and surprise—to a simple sentence or paragraph.

Farnsworth’s Classical English Rhetoric recovers this knowledge for our times. It amounts to a tutorial on eloquence conducted by Churchill and Lincoln, Dickens and Melville, Burke and Paine, and more than a hundred others. The book organizes a vast range of examples from those sources into 18 chapters that illustrate and analyze the most valuable rhetorical devices with unprecedented clarity. The result is an indispensable source of pleasure and instruction for all lovers of the English language.

©2010 Ward Farnsworth (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Not only educational but delightful.” (David Mamet)
"Every writer should have this book." (Erin McKean, editor of Verbatim: The Language Quarterly and CEO of wordnik.com)
"So, dear reader, I say it even if I say it myself - get this book! No, really, get this book! Read clever Farnsworth, and read him again, and you may become more clever yourself." (Carlin Romano, The Chronicle of Higher Education)

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A marvelous book.

Oh, how our language has diminished. Learn to speak like a great orator, this teaches the skills they used then, and it still works today.

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needs a classical English accent not americanised

the introduction is being read with an americanised accent, it doesnt work I hope it can be re recorded in due time..

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Great book, but...

It needs to have the chapters named since it can be a reference book.

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