Toward a Rhetoric of Insult

From High School Cafeterias To The Floor Of Congress, Insult Is A Universal And Ubiquitous Cultural Practice With A Long And Earthy History. Viewed Through The Lens Of The Study Of Rhetoric Insult Is Revealed As At Once Antisocial And Crucial For Human Relations, Both Divisive And Unifying. The Range Of Insult -- Terms Of Abuse: The Lexical Approach -- Beyond The Lexicon -- Non-verbal Terms -- The Problem Of The Intrinsic -- Traditional Principles Of Insult -- Sex, Lies, And Rhetorical Community -- All Those Nauseous Epigrams Of Martial -- The Domestication Of Sir John Falstaff -- I Shall Taunt You A Second Time-a!: Monty Python -- Just Add A Dash Of Theology -- Lines And Storylines -- Doing The Dozens -- Mind Your Manners -- Insults As Rhetoric -- Beyond Traditional Rhetoric -- The Paradox Of Insult -- The Economics Of Shame -- Maintaining Vs. Interrogating Hierarchies -- Enforcing Civility -- The Aesthetic Angle -- Ad Bellum Purificandum? -- A Parting Shot. Thomas Conley. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.