Kenneth Burke's pentad: a state of the discipline review, 2001-2010

This study reviews pentadic scholarship from 2001-2010 in order to assess the state of Kenneth Burke's famous critical tool and to provide the Burkean student a comprehensive guide for the pentad. The study first outlines trends in dramatistic and pentadic scholarship and reviews sources of misunderstanding within Burke's writings. Second, the study provides an in-depth review of the pentad, situating it within the context of other dramatistic concepts with which it is frequently paired. Third, the study assesses several previous exemplars of pentadic analysis as a baseline for comparing more recent scholarship. Fourth, the study provides a critical overview of the state of the pentad in scholarship from 2001-2010. Finally, the study provides conclusions and possible directions for future applications of the pentad.