The Rhetor's Audience is Also a Fiction

This thesis examines rhetorical situation theory. Drawing upon previous literature ranging from the original Bitzer-Vatz-(Consigny) debate through recent genre studies on rhetorical situation, I present a modified version of rhetorical situation theory in light of the common ideas, disputes, strengths, and limitations of earlier works. I begin with a review of important literature in Chapter Two in order to illustrate both the similarities and differences in other theories. Then, in Chapter Three, I discuss the importance of audience, particularly fictional audiences, to the rhetorical situation. I present a modified version of rhetorical situation theory in Chapter Four and illustrate the rhetorical situation by discussing examples in Chapter Five. I also offer a universal example for rhetorical situations, one that is not designed to support any theory in particular.