Visual Rhetoric in a Digital World: A Critical Sourcebook

by Carolyn Handa

This sourcebook helps composition instructors consider what it means to teach visual rhetoric in the context of the multimedia classroom. Drawn from a range of disciplines, readings address visual argument, rhetoric of the image and design, and how culture shapes visual understanding.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theory, Academic

504 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2004

Reviews

[Ryan]

Quite a few good chapters on design, visual culture and rhetoric. There's one chapter on humanism and design that nails quite a few thoughts I've had about the craft of design myself, discussing the difference between rhetoric (a focus on meaning and process) versus poetics (a focus on the artifact) and it's relationship to different understandings of what design is.

[Katie J Schwartz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Several of the chapters are no longer relevant. When I'm reading a book about the digital world, I really shouldn't look at the publication dates and roll my eyes.

Two Stars: This book was not good for me. I can (probably) understand why someone else might like it, but I didn't. I won't be recommending it to anyone.

[Justinlohr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hit and miss, but provides a decent survey of visual rhetoric's foundations, how visual rhetoric overlaps and differs from written rhetoric, the cultural consequences of our increasing move towards visual expression, and the urgent need to equip students with the tools to understand visual culture.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

some good stuff in here