Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Date

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

English

Committee Chair

Katherine Fredlund

Committee Member

Katherine Fredlund

Committee Member

Scott Sundvall

Committee Member

William Duffy

Abstract

This dissertation develops a rhetorical framework for explaining how language circulates, shifts in meaning, and gains persuasive force in contemporary media environments. Existing models describe the movement of discourse but offer limited tools for analyzing how circulating narratives change—how affect, identity, and digital infrastructures shape that transformation. This project defines contagious rhetoric as a set of linguistic and narrative processes through which discourse becomes amplified, distorted, reclaimed, or weaponized. The studies examine two sites where these dynamics are especially visible: feminist digital storytelling in the #medusatattoo TikTok corpus and the strategic appropriation of abolitionist terminology by anti-abortion activists. These cases demonstrate how narratives accrue ideological weight, how affective resonance can override evidence, and how contested lexicons influence public understanding. The final chapter translates these insights into a circulation-based pedagogy of critical literacy for middle and high school classrooms. This model equips students to trace rhetorical evolution, recognize manipulative strategies, and generate counter-discourses rooted in their own agency. Together, these contributions provide scholars and educators with a vocabulary for analyzing when and how rhetoric becomes harmful, empowering, or structurally consequential.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest/Clarivate.

Notes

Open Access

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