| Americans
of the early Republic valued the art of eloquence, upholding the ideal
that an impassioned, intelligent, and moral speaker will provide essential
truths to a democratic audience. Drawing on nonfiction prose of the
1830s-1850s—especially orations, lectures, and addresses—James Perrin
Warren sketches a cultural history of the reforming power of language.
Antebellum
America truly defined itself as a culture of eloquence. This disposition
could be seen in the creation of new cultural spaces, such as the
lyceum and popular lecture system, for speakers who were then measured
against the ideals of eloquence held by their listeners. Defining
eloquence as "powerful, moving speech," Warren engages a host of writers/orators
to develop his argument, beginning with Ralph Waldo Emerson's philosophy
of language in the 1830s and expanding his discussion to include the
theories and practices of Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Elizabeth
Peabody, Frederick Douglass, William Gilmore Simms, and Walt Whitman.
From this list he outlines practices that crossed the boundaries of
gender, race, and class, ultimately showing that diverse sectors of
society valued the word as a means toward reform.
Powerful
words move people to action, and Warren clearly delineates the authority
accorded oratory in antebellum America. This book will appeal to a
wide audience, including those interested in antebellum American culture,
American literature and cultural history, literary criticism, and
rhetoric |
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