Rhetorical criticism and foucault's philosophy of discursive events

Abstract

Rhetorical theory has long recognized the importance of eventfulness to rhetoric. This essay explores Foucault's notion of discursive events by reviewing his philosophy of incorporeal materialism and suggesting how his view contrasts with those of other rhetoricians. Nixon's “Checkers Speech” is used as a representative rhetorical event to illustrate the direction that Foucault's notion of event leads rhetorical critics.