He was a pioneering communication theorist. A pioneering literary theorist.  A pioneering social theorist. Poet, dramatist, lyracist. Genetically responsible for Harry, Tom and all the other musical Chapins.  Are you getting an idea of what a remarkable man he was?

Burke's theories are usually classified under the perspective of "Dramatism." Dramatistic theories presuppose that human beings are (un)conscious creators of their social roles.  Burke goes so far as to state that the symbols we assign to the natural world forever alter our relationship to reality.

Burke's writings are terribly dense, and he always assumes that the reader has read most of the literature produced in the Western world (not merely the great literature). Thus he can be daunting. The interested student might want to begin with Attitudes Toward History, which, among other things, manages to slot world history into frames based on  literary genres.

If you are interested, you can join the  Burke List  here.

Would you care to visit rhetoricians whose moment has passed?