Anti-thesis: the new rhetoric of Jim W. Corder

Abstract

Unfortunately, Jim W. Corder passed away in August of 1998. But, as I hope will be apparent by the end of this paper, he put more of himself into his writing than most writers of academic prose. And, as I hope will be apparent by the end of this paper, his ideas about rhetoric and composition are as relevant today as they were during his life, and, in some cases, more so. While these last two sentences might sound a bit like a poorly crafted thesis, they aren't quite-­ though, I suppose a thesis statement might lie less in the pen of the writer and more in the eye of the beholder. I'm trying to offer myself in this paper on Jim Corder-because I feel like he'd want it that way. If you're with me so far, I hope you recognize that I share two things in common with my (as-yet-unannounced) thesis. The first is that both myself and my thesis are forthcoming. The second: I am my argument, just as you are yours.