Rhetoric provides a repertoire of different methods for original and
innovative creation by introducing notions of surprise, the unexpected,
and conflict. The myths of "inspiration" and "the brilliant idea"
dominate explanations of the genesis of many architectural and creative
projects. Nevertheless, perhaps the most original ideas and innovative
designs could be explained as transpositions of the classical figures or
colors of rhetoric. This possibility brings up several questions.
Is rhetoric a kind of repertoire of different ways in which one can be
"original"? Can the creative process be facilitated and enriched if
creators become more aware of the system that they often use
intuitively? Do architects make conscious or unconscious use of some of
the figures of thought, tropes, and colors when creating and discussing
architecture? Can metonymies, hyperbatons, oxymorons, antitheses, and
puns, among many other rhetorical figures, be identified in spatial and
visual disciplines? Can rhetorical mechanisms be applied to architecture
to coordinate social action?
These are some of the key questions addressed in this book, which
revolves around an inventory of rhetorical figures found in architecture
and visual arts.