Post #15: Modern & Post-Modern Rhetoric, Mikhail Bakhtin, and Marxism & Language

In the beginning of the 20th century, rhetoric had a significant decline. However, throughout the 20th century rhetoric became valuable, and gained the new reputation as the theory of language and meaning. Around this time the study of rhetoric had become known in college, transforming into composition, and focusing on technical writing and grammar. As composition became more vigorous and independent, a rhetorical analysis of academic writing had come about. Composition had become more professional and speech communication was introduced, stressing that the ability to convey knowledge clearly and efficiently was of utmost importance. Instructors had also started to become interested in the pedagogical theory, really delving deep into the style of teaching, and the rhetoric behind it.

Mikhail Bakhtin was a language and linguist expert. He believed that language can only be understood as dialogue, real utterances in social situations. It was quite common for Bakhtin to attack others' approaches to literature. But foremost, he was a true believer in Formalism, the study of structural linguistics; the main ideas being the abolishment of simplistic literature and the differences it held from practical language.