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The Objectivist Rhetoric

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Lakoff, G. - cognitive linguist - esp. with regard to metaphor,  according to Google's Berkley result. Glancing at his webpage, one title that caught my attention was "Where Mathematics Comes From". The abstract for the book was a little less so (attention catching, to me - that is.)

 

I've never read Where Mathematics Comes From (although I've read about it), but I recommend you to read Philosophy in the Flesh: the Embodied Mind & its Challenge to Western Thought. In Chapter 22, he rips Chomsky's grammar to shreds. I loved it!

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I thought you said that you hadn't read it, but you must have referred to the other two works. I was surprised to read that you weren't interested in them. I think these would be the first place to start when studying Rand's rhetoric. She isn't known primarily for her public speaking but rather her fiction and nonfiction. The strength of your thesis may benefit from quoting what Rand had to say about rhetoric then quoting examples of her doing it.

The Art of Nonfiction focuses much on the process of writing, which is probably irrelevant to your purpose. But chapter 8 is about style and may be of value. It has subsections on  emphasis, transitions, rhythm and drama. Chapter 3, Judging One's Audience, may help to explain why some criticize her use of the axiom, "existence exists." As a stand alone sentence it is tautological, redundant and meaningless. But she assumes her reader is familiar with the deeper meaning that there is futility in attempts to constrict lines of reasoning that deny existence (she either assumes this or tries to explain it). I'm interested to know if the criticisms quoted in your thesis were drawn from pieces intended for Objectivist audiences. Perhaps I'll look into it if I have time.

The Art of Fiction may offer you much more to work with, as it focuses less on the process of writing. This book focuses on style in three separate chapters. The book quotes examples from Rand and and about 8 other authors including Victor Hugo, Thomas Wolfe and Sinclair Lewis. It wouldn't take long to scan these two books for material, so I think it's still a good idea this late in the process.

 

Jacob, you were right. Both "Fiction" and especially "Nonfiction" have a lot of good points on metaphors. Thank you for recommending them to me!

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