While the study of rhetoric has received a much-needed revival dating
from about 1945, historical writing was not a favored object of scrutiny
among the many studies of rhetoric's influence on medieval literature,
education, and preaching (from the introduction). By 1978, some scholars
had resolved to rectify this problem, and organized sessions at the
thirteenth International Congress on Medieval Studies. This volume
stands as a selection of works presented there, helping to fortify the
strength of interest and inquiry directed toward rhetoric's symbiosis
with historiography in centuries past (from the introduction).