The Agrarian Rhetoric of Richard M. Weaver

Abstract

The rhetorician and philosopher Richard Weaver has been an unfairly marginalized figure in rhetorical studies, consigned to the margins for his conservative political views and insistence upon the reality of Platonic transcendental forms. In this dissertation, I advance an argument that Weaver is not only a major figure who deserves reexamination, but also that a true understanding of Weaver must be based upon his education and training by the Southern Agrarian writers, critics, and poets. Analyzing Weaver’s writings through the framework of Agrarian thought, I use the categories of practice (practical and traditional knowledge), place (geographic identity), and solidarity (societal common purpose) to suggest new ways forward for rhetorical studies, rhetorical education, and civic life.