A citizen's guides to democracy inaction: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's comic rhetorical criticism
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Waisanen, Don J. [1]
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[1] University of Southern California
University of Southern California
Estados Unidos
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- Localización: Southern communication journal, ISSN 1041-794X, Vol. 74, nº 2, 2009, págs. 119-140
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
This essay examines the discourse of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, two of the most prominent political comedians in America. Kenneth Burke's theories of perspective by incongruity and the comic frame provide a general structure for surveying Stewart and Colbert's comic strategies on their nightly television shows, and their roles across various media events. Stewart and Colbert use three rhetorical strategies, in particular, to critically reframe American political discourses: (a) parodic polyglossia; (b) satirical specificity; and (c) contextual clash. By illustrating how these strategies of incongruity are employed, this essay demonstrates that Stewart and Colbert are comic rhetorical critics, who both make important contributions to public discourse and civil society.
