The evolution of the rhetorical genre of apologia

This essay traces the evolution of the enduring rhetorical genre of apologia from the Greek period to the present. I argue that apologia has undergone significant changes in form because its function has changed throughout history. Specifically, shifts in function produce five “subgenres” of apologia: self‐exoneration, self‐absolution, self‐sacrifice, self‐service, and self‐deception. The implications for the continued viability of apologia in current times, as well as the critical generic approach grounding the analysis, are examined.