The Rhetorical Goddess: A Feminist Perspective on Women in Magic

Abstract

Laura Bruns is a Tenure Track Lecturer in the Department of Communication at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Ms. Bruns received her Master of Science in Communication from Illinois State University and her B.A. in Communication from the College of Charleston. Her Masterʹs Thesis explored the rhetoric of women in magic. She is fascinated and inspired by the transcendence of performance magic. Joseph P. Zompetti (Ph.D., Wayne State) is Professor in the School of Communication at Illinois State University. His research interests include the rhetoric of magic, political communication, rhetorical theory and argumentation. He has published extensively in journals such as the Western Journal of Communication, Culture Theory & Critique, and Argumentation. ABSTRACT Although female magicians have existed since the rise of entertainment magic, women have faced difficulty in entering the "fraternity" of the magic community. As an art form largely based around persuasion, it is useful to study the performance of magic as a text. It is additionally useful to study female magicians within this context of rhetoric. Not only will examining the rhetoric of female magicians provide insights on the rhetoric of women in this unique arena, but also of women in a historically gendered and underrepresented field. Research into this area may disclose other details regarding the communicative differences between women and men and how communication is adapted within a gendered communication paradigm.