Rhetorics of Fear and Rage: An American Tradition

Patricia Bizzell Lauer Series in Rhetoric and Composition Edited by Thomas Rickert and Jennifer Bay Information and Pricing 978-1-64317-587-4 (paperback, $34.95); 978-1-64317-588-1 (PDF, $19.95); 978-1-64317-589-8 (EPUB, $19.95) © 2026 by Parlor Press, with, notes and bibliography. 278 pages. Bookstores: Order by fax, mail, or phone. See our "Sales and Ordering Page" for details. About This Book Why do Americans so often seem trapped in cycles of outrage, suspicion, and political hostility? Is contemporary civic discourse uniquely broken—or are today’s conflicts part of a much longer national pattern? In Rhetorics of Fear and Rage, Patricia Bizzell argues that emotionally charged public discourse has been a recurring feature of American democracy from the nation’s founding to the present day. Rather than treating today’s polarization as unprecedented, Bizzell situates current debates within a long history of rhetorical conflict shaped by fear, anger, stereotyping, and logical fallacies. Through compelling and accessible historical episodes, Bizzell analyzes how rhetoric has influenced public opinion during moments of crisis and social transformation. Topics include: Patrick Henry and revolutionary rhetoric The public attacks on Angelina and Sarah Grimké Anti-Chinese violence in Tacoma The rhetoric of American eugenics McCarthyism and personal attack Confederate flag controversies Anti-vaccine rhetoric Climate change denial and cherry-picked evidence At the center of the book is Bizzell’s exploration of rhetorical “shortcuts”—patterns of thinking and persuasion that simplify complex issues but often distort public understanding. By identifying these recurring rhetorical habits, she helps readers recognize how contemporary discourse operates and how citizens can engage more responsibly in democratic life. Although informed by decades of scholarship in rhetoric and composition studies, Rhetorics of Fear and Rage is written for a broad readership. Bizzell avoids jargon and presents rhetorical concepts through clear prose, vivid examples, and historical storytelling. The result is a book that speaks not only to scholars and students but also to general readers concerned about democracy, media, and public culture. The book is particularly well suited for courses in Rhetoric and composition Communication studies Public discourse American studies Political communication Writing and argument Media literacy Praise for Rhetorics of Fear and Rage “For years, people have asked me for a good book introduction to rhetoric that is smart, well-written, accessible for non-experts, yet grounded in scholarship. This is that book.” —Patricia Roberts-Miller, author of Rhetoric and Demagoguery "How do people today manage to process and reasonably respond to the sparkling array of complex problems and issues that surround us all? Even more, how do we do so consistently with the bedrock values of our nation in mind—truth, freedom, equality, justice, and empowerment—for all? In Rhetorics of Fear and Rage: An American Tradition, Patricia Bizzell demonstrates her expertise and insights as a researcher and scholar in bringing the tools of rhetorical studies to bear in facing these formidable tasks. What I appreciate most about her efforts, however, is that her analytical touchstones are not couched in esoteric academic discourses but in familiar concerns and everyday language. While she certainly does not shy away from an identification of some of the most contentious moments in the history of our nation, a central focus is on our historic propensities to take “shortcuts,” not only in our thinking about specific challenges as ground-level experiences, but also in the choices that we make to address these challenges in discourse and action." —Jacqueline Jones Royster, author of Finding Sarah and Mary: Unraveling African American Genealogy from the Ground Up “Rhetorics of Fear and Rage is a compelling and urgently needed book. In the midst of our ever-increasing polarization, Bizzell offers renewed hope in the ideals of the American democratic project and practical wisdom for redeeming public discourse.”—Michael-John DePalma, author of Sacred Rhetorical Education in 19th Century America About the Author Patricia Bizzell is Distinguished Professor of English Emerita at the College of the Holy Cross, where she taught rhetoric, writing, and American literature for more than forty years before retiring in 2019. During her long career at Holy Cross, she founded and directed a writing across the curriculum program and helped establish the peer tutoring program that grew into the college’s writing center. She also served Holy Cross in numerous leadership roles, including chair of the English department, director of both the college and English honors programs, and head of the faculty senate. Internationally recognized for her contributions to rhetoric and writing studies, Bizzell is the coauthor (with Bruce Herzberg) of The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present, a landmark anthology widely used in graduate rhetoric courses in the United States and abroad (first edition 1992; third edition 2020, with Robin Reames). Her influential work on the concept of “academic discourse” helped shape modern composition theory and was collected in Academic Discourse and Critical Consciousness (1992), whose essays continue to appear in major anthologies and graduate curricula. In addition to dozens of scholarly articles, she co-edited Nineteenth-Century American Activist Rhetorics (MLA, 2021) with Lisa Zimmerelli. Her research frequently examines the rhetoric of social justice movements in the long nineteenth century, including advocacy for women’s rights, abolition and Black rights, and Native American rights. Bizzell has also played a significant role in professional organizations. She helped found the Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition and the Jesuit Conference on Rhetoric and Composition and served as President of the Rhetoric Society of America, which elected her a Fellow in recognition of her scholarly contributions. Her work has been honored with the field’s two highest recognitions from the Conference on College Composition and Communication: the Outstanding Book Award for The Rhetorical Tradition and the Exemplar Award for Lifetime Achievement. In Rhetorics of Fear and Rage, Bizzell draws on decades of scholarship to present engaging historical episodes and rhetorical insights for a broad readership seeking perspective on the challenges of contemporary American democracy. Photograph of the author by John L. Buckingham. Used by permission.