 | The Methodical Memory In this first sustained critique of current-traditional rhetorical theory, Sharon Crowley uses a postmodern, deconstructive reading to reexamine the historical development of current-traditional rhetoric. She identifies it (as well as the British new rhetoric from which it developed) as a philosophy of language use that posits universal principles of mind and discourse. Crowley argues that these philosophies are not appropriate bases for the construction of rhetorical theories, much less guides for the teaching of composition. She explains that current-traditional rhetoric is not a rhetorical theory, and she argues that its use as such has led to a misrepresentation of invention. Crowley contends that current-traditional rhetoric continues to prosper because a considerable number of college composition teachers--graduate students, part-time instructors, and teachers of literature--are not involved in the development of the curricula they are asked to teach. As a result, their voices, necessary to create any true representation of the composition teaching experience, are denied access to the scholarly conversations evaluating the soundness of the institutionalized teaching methods derived from the current-traditional approach. Sharon Crowley is professor of rhetoric and composition at Arizona State University and a former professor at Penn State and Northern Arizona universities. She received her B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Nebraska and her Ph.D. from the University of Northern Colorado. She has written articles on the history of rhetoric and composition and on postmodernism in the teaching of writing; her work has appeared in Journal of Advanced Composition, Rhetoric Review, and College Composition and Communication. Crowley has served as chair of the Committee on Professional Standards to help improve the working conditions of college writing teachers. This stems from her interest in the history of writing instruction in the U.S. Her book, The Methodical Memory: Invention in Current-traditional Rhetoric, won the 1991 W. Ross Winterowd Award. In it, she explains what current rhetoric is and discusses its development. She has also written Composition in the University: Historical and Polemical Essays, Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, and A Teacher's Guide to Deconstruction. (Bowker Author Biography) |
