Tools of a trade : guilt as a rhetorical device in conduct literature

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 13, 2009)Thesis (M.A.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2008.Guilt as a rhetorical device is an aspect of the study of rhetoric that is largely ignored by the academic community. It has been used effectively, as in the case of conduct literature, for a number of years and continues as a popular motivator today. This paper explores modern day theories of guilt as a motivator in order to enable understanding of this device. However, in order to demonstrate the lasting effects of guilt as a social motivator the primary source for this paper is conduct literature. It is through the analysis of the conduct literature and the rhetorical devices used therein, both for women and for men, that guilt becomes an apparent motivator.Includes bibliographical reference