All in All (More or Less) Rhetorical Considerations in Literature, Thought, and Experience

“Jost’s scope exploring philosophical and literary scholarly resources is simply wondrous. … His footnotes combined with the main text offer an elaborate education, especially for literary critics … . Reading it again for this review I realized how much I admire the content and structure of the argumentative work this learning allows and supports.” (Charles Altieri, Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics, Vol. 48 (3), 2025)

“Walter Jost has written a remarkable book, one that makes a major contribution to rhetorical criticism and theory, and more generally to thinking about thinking within humanistic studies and beyond.” (Steven Mailloux, Critical Inquiry, criticalinquiry.uchicago.edu, May 8, 2025)

“Walter Jost has written an important and unusual book. ... All in All (More or Less) is important, first of all, for reviving—indeed, relaunching — a sophisticated mode of pluralism in cultural and literary criticism. ... All in All (More or Less) has the potential to illuminate the hermeneutical assumptions and cognitive habits of many readers … .” (Kevin Hart, Philosophy and Literature, Vol. 49 (1), April 2025)