the RHETORICIANa little about Kenneth Burke
Kenneth Burke is a renowned critic and literary theorist "whose work was influential in several fields of knowledge where symbols are a central focus of study" (Kenneth Burke Facts). He wrote a lot about motives, symbols, symbolic action, identification, criticism, dramatism, and more. He's known most for his theories on symbolic action and dramatism, which is how he described a way of studying the motivations of humans. To learn more about Kenneth Burke, visit Encyclopedia of World Biography or Encyclopedia Britannica. |
Burke wrote many books during his lifetime of varying topics. Click on any of the covers above to learn more/purchase any of these books.
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Burke's definition of man
Man is
the symbol-using (symbol-making, symbol-misusing) animal
inventor of the negative (or moralized by the negative)
separated from his natural condition by instruments of his own making
goaded by the spirit of hierarchy (or moved by the sense of order)
and rotten with perfection. (Burke 507)
Man is
the symbol-using (symbol-making, symbol-misusing) animal
inventor of the negative (or moralized by the negative)
separated from his natural condition by instruments of his own making
goaded by the spirit of hierarchy (or moved by the sense of order)
and rotten with perfection. (Burke 507)