Columbo: A Rhetoric of Inquiry with Resistant Responders

This book examines Lieutenant Columbo's investigative method of rhetorical inquiry in the television police procedural Columbo, using the Socratic method and Sophrosyne to question resistant responders and uncover truths. It is accessible to interdisciplinary readers and practical in application, while also being entertaining for Columbo buffs.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 20 August 2021
Publisher: Intellect Books

This captivating book delves into the intricate investigative method of Lieutenant Columbo, a renowned television police procedural character, as portrayed in the series Columbo (1968-2003). Through a relentless barrage of questions about minute details and feigned ignorance, Columbo artfully adopts the persona of 'antipotency,' or counter-authoritativeness, to manipulate the villains' perception of his keen attention to inconsistencies, abductive reasoning, and rhetorical efficacy. In a predominantly dialogue-based investigation, Columbo exhausts his suspects by relentlessly peppering them with a battery of inquiries concerning every intricate aspect of the case, gradually turning the inquiry into an aggravating and tedious provocation for the killer who desperately strives to maintain their innocence.

Drawing inspiration from the Ancient Greek ideal of Sophrosyne (temperance, restraint) and the Socratic method of questioning to uncover truths, Columbo models effective rhetorical inquiry with resistant responders. These individuals include shy, secretive, anxious, emotionally disconnected, angry, arrogant, jealous, and, in this particular case, murderous conversants. While this text is intended to be both critical and theoretical, it strives to be accessible to interdisciplinary readers, practical in application, and entertaining for avid Columbo enthusiasts.

Dimension: 244 x 170 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781783209859
Edition number: New ed