01428nas a2200121   4500008004100000245006000041210005500101300001000156490000600166520102100172100002401193856008901217       2002                        eng d00aThe Art of Invective: Performing Identity in Cyberspace0 aArt of Invective Performing Identity in Cyberspace  a51-700 v43 a<p>This article examines the common computer-mediated communication (CMC) phenomenon of &lsquo;flaming&rsquo; from a rhetorical perspective, situating the phenomenon diachronically in the histories of invective in art and society. An examination of the notorious alt.flame newsgroup draws connections between the political and sexual content of the flames and the rants and dozens genres of invective. The article concludes with an argument against the still prevalent media-determinant view that holds that flaming is somehow caused by the medium of CMC itself. Given the strategic nature of the different kinds of flames, it makes more sense to view them as performative enactments of identity which stress either group or individual identity depending on the genre<br />
of invective utilized by the flamer. This article demonstrates that the more historical approach offered by rhetorical criticism gives a vital perspective to an area of study from which rhetorical critics have for too long been absent.</p>
1 aVrooman, Steven, S.  uhttps://genreacrossborders.org/biblio/art-invective-performing-identity-cyberspace-0