Abstract
Congressman George Hansen, convicted of four felony counts of filing false financial disclosure records, lost his 1984 reelection bid by less than 150 votes. Analyzing Hansen’s apologetic rhetoric from the perspective of a generic, "paranoid style” of discourse illuminates why the Congressman was able to defend his character to the satisfaction of nearly one-half of his constituency. Hansen’s case helps to illustrate the development and function of a rhetorical genre in a given, historical context.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 189-203 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Western Journal of Speech Communication |
Volume | 51 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 1987 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Language and Linguistics
- Communication