Metanoia: Rhetoric, Authenticity, and the Transformation of the Self

217 Pages·2020·1.175 MB·English

by  Adam Ellwanger

M ETANOIA
AIONATEM
M E TANOIA
M ETANOIA
AIONATEM
M ETANOIA
RHETORIC, AUTHENTICITY, AND THE
TRANSFORMATION OF THE SELF
ADAM ELLWANGER
with a foreword by Pat J. Gehrke
Metanoia

M E TA N O I A
Rhetoric, Authenticity, and the Transformation of the Self
Adam Ellwanger
With a foreword by Pat J. Gehrke
The Pennsylvania State University Press | University Park, Pennsylvania
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Copyright © 2020 Adam Ellwanger
Data All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Names: Ellwanger, Adam, 1978– author. Published by The Pennsylvania
Title: Metanoia : rhetoric, authenticity, and the State University Press,
transformation of the self / Adam Ellwanger ; University Park, PA 16802–1003
with a foreword by Pat J. Gehrke.
Description: University Park, Pennsylvania : The Pennsylvania State University Press is a
The Pennsylvania State University Press, member of the Association of University
[2020] | Includes bibliographical references Presses.
and index.
Summary: “Examines the concept of metanoia It is the policy of The Pennsylvania State
as both a rhetorical figure of speech and a University Press to use acid-free paper.
critical tool for the analysis of self- Publications on uncoated stock satisfy the
reinventions of all kinds, including minimum requirements of American National
conversions related to race, sex, religion, and Standard for Information Sciences—
politics”—Provided by publisher. Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Identifiers: LCCN 2019055810 | ISBN Material, ansi z39.48–1992.
9780271085920 (cloth)
Subjects: LCSH: Rhetoric. | Rhetoric—
Religious aspects—Christianity. | Self.
Classification: LCC P301.E45 2020 | DDC
808.001—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc
.gov/2019055810
For Alice and Peter, who are at the outset of a wondrous,
arduous journey. Walk with purpose. Act on principle.

CONTENTS
Foreword | ix
Acknowledgments | xiii
Introduction: Toward an Analytic Conception of Metanoia | 1
1. Taking It Back: The History of Rhetorical Metanoia in the
Classical Tradition and Beyond | 15
2. Crucifying the Old Man: Christian Metanoic Testimony
and the Changing of the Heart | 39
3. Finding Yourself: Metanoia, Epistrophe, and the Ontology
of the Modern Ethos | 97
Conclusion: Afterthoughts; Past, Present, and Future Selves | 149
Notes | 175
Bibliography | 191
Index | 198

FOREWORD
Of Aristotle’s three proofs, scholars of rhetoric have spent the most time
with ethos and its constellate concepts. Scholars have produced countless
studies of self-presentation, ethos, and personae over the past forty years.
Yet for all this interest, little existing scholarship deals with how rhetors
transform themselves. Rhetorics of self-discovery, self-transformation, refor-
mation, conversion, and recovery abound, but we have few well-developed
theories or critical tools to understand them. In this engaging book, Adam
Ellwanger ameliorates this lacuna by offering us both metanoia as a critical
concept and a historical overview of how rhetorics of self-transformation
developed in Western culture. In doing so, he charts an exciting path for
future research in rhetoric and reminds us of the vital importance of histor-
ical work in developing rhetorical theory and critical tools.
While Ellwanger explores metanoia and its related terms (e.g., epistrophe,
redemption, and conversion) in both ancient and contemporary contexts,
the extended study of Christian traditions of metanoia in chapter 2 marks
a singular accomplishment. One could hardly overstate the influence of
Christianity on Western thought and culture, but relatively few scholars of
rhetoric study Christian rhetorics, and far fewer study the history of Chris-
tian rhetoric. By attending to early Christian rhetoric, Ellwanger has traced
out something like a genealogy of Western conversion and transforma-
tion discourse. That genealogy unearths a crisis of authenticity at the core
of Christian conversion rhetoric. How is a rhetor’s avowed conversion and
transformation judged as authentic or feigned? Who may do that judging?
What rhetorical moves do conversion stories use?
Such questions are not only relevant to Christianity or religious discourses
but are at the core of secular rhetorics of self-transformation and reform.
As chapter 3 documents, metanoia is a common rhetorical tactic in modern
public discourse. The tools publics use to judge such avowals of transformation