A Brief History of Rhetoric in Narrative Advertising

The term “rhetoric” is derived from the Greek word rhetor. In its original meaning, the term is known to be used for describing an “orator,” a term which refers to a person or a politician giving a speech in a public space or defending himself/herself in the court in Antique Age because in Greek city-states, social sphere was the place where spoken language and face-to-face communication prevailed in antique age conditions. Today, on the other hand, the population to be addressed has enlarged, and new platforms which can influence a number of people at the same time have emerged. Advertising is one of those platforms in which rhetoric is most frequently used because “persuading” the consumer is one of the most significant elements in advertising content. Besides, advertising is a persuasive narrative form and has strong influence in terms of rhetorical figures. In this chapter, a brief history of rhetoric is presented, and then a relationship between rhetoric and advertising narrative is established.