Vatz, Richard "The Myth of the Rhetorical Situation
From RhetorClick
Richard Vatz’s article, “The Myth of the Rhetorical Situation” was written as a reaction to Lloyd Bitzer’s article “The Rhetorical Situation.” Bitzer claimed that situations are made up of characteristics that influence how rhetoric plays into it. Vatz argues that there is no absolute truth with surrounding characteristics about an event or situation; situations are created by the communication about them. In other words, people perceive situations idiosyncratically and communicate them uniquely, so the audience is given the rhetor’s truth not an absolute one.
Related Links
"The Mythical Status of Situational Rhetoric: Implications for Rhetorical Critics’ Relevance in the Public Arena" by Richard Vatz, The Review of Communication Vol. 9, No. 1, January 2009, pp. 1-5. http://pages.towson.edu/vatz/mythical_status_of_situation.htm
