Booth's descriptions of rhetorical technique are almost exhaustive, especially in his account of the myriad possible "points of view" by which stories get told. The Jamesian acolyte Percy Lubbock, and indeed Henry James himself, each wrote seminally about the importance of point of view, but Booth went much further, showing not only what all the possibilities were, but drawing on his own voluminous reading to show examples of these techniques. Whether despite or because of this extraordinary detail, The Rhetoric of Fiction has been one of the most influential works of literary criticism since the war, rivalling Brooks and Robert Penn Warren's Understanding Poetry (1938) and Northrop Frye's Anatomy of Criticism (1957) in popularity and influence. After it, Booth continued to write about the role of rhetoric in criticism, and his A Rhetoric of Irony (1974) was, though less popular than its predecessor because less wide-ranging, an equally detailed and authoritative study A conscientious and popular teacher, Booth conducted a democratic sort of classroom, in which he emphasised "the importance of dialogue in which the teachers don't have total control and the students' ideas count". He had a long and happy marriage, though the family was struck by tragedy when Booth's son, Richard, an aspiring actor, was killed in 1969 in a roadside accident in Michigan when he was only 18. His son's death haunted Booth, and perhaps triggered an increased interest in larger social and moral issues, most notably in Now Don't Try to Reason With Me: essays and ironies for a credulous age (1970). His interest in rhetoric's role expanded from literature to all modes of communication, and he wrote with equal facility about television, political speeches and classical music.
Among the more interesting of his later books is For the Love of It: amateuring and its rivals (1999), a defence of the cult of the amateur, and an account of Booth's own cello-playing, which he only began at the age of 35. Since 1997 there has been a 16 per cent increase in the number of new businesses in London compared with 5 per cent in Scotland and just 2 per cent in Wales.Jordan Kensington, founder of Invincible Media: 'I respect people like Branson'Jordan Kensington launched Invincible Media, his urban music and lifestyle business, seven years ago with a £5,000 grant from the Prince's Trust in his back pocket and a burning ambition in his heart.The company employs 12 people and turns over £2.5m a year. What began as a small magazine dedicated to the promotion of British music around the world has spawned a radio station, a television channel and an events company which organises, among other things, the annual Urban Music Awards.Mr Kensington's entrepreneurial spirit took a knock a year ago when a female bystander was shot in the chest outside the event at the Barbican in London. She survived, and the gunman, Linton Ambursley, was jailed for 12 years last week for wounding with intent.Sitting in his office in Hackney, Mr Kensington insists the episode had no impact financially but admits it had affected morale.
"When things like that happen, you have to move on and become a stronger person," he said.The gang involved in the attack had no link to the awards and Invincible plays a prominent role in anti-gun campaigns Nevertheless, Mr Kensington has learnt his lesson. This year's awards, which take place next month, are at a secret location and entry is by invitation only.If you had to draw a profile of the typical young entrepreneur finding his way in the capital, Mr Kensington would fit it perfectly. He is black, male, university-educated (he has a law degree from London South Bank University) and in his "early 20s".Like many young entrepreneurs, Mr Kensington eschewed bank loans, financing his business by raising £100,000 from the sale of his first property. "From the very start, I decided it would be my business and would never have a partner," he said "Hopefully, I will never sell up either. I respect people like Sir Richard Branson because he owns a massive share in his business His personality makes the business but he is so humble.". The Bank of Japan yesterday gave a strong hint it was on the brink of abandoning the super-easy monetary policy stance it has run for the past four years in the face of mounting evidence of an economic rebound. The Bank's Governor, Toshihiko Fukui, said the debate over ending its policy of pumping cash into the economy and keeping interest rates at zero had reached a "critical period". He was speaking after two members of the Bank's nine-strong policy board voted against its decision to continue flooding the economy with cheap money.
