The language and science of persuasion, in other words, oratory. In the middle ages, rhetoric was one of the important liberal arts and was studied as a separate discipline along with grammar and logic. Rhetoric today comprises all the techniques used to sway a hearer or reader, notably the figures of speech, rhythm, diction or idiolect, temporal and logical structure.
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60 words
Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Rhetoric". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 November 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=954, accessed 09 June 2026.]
