A Catalogue of Rhetorical and Other Literary Terms from American Literature and Oratory

摘要: The editors of Style have very kindly consented to publish this prospectus my unpublished textbook, An Introduction in American Literature and Oratory. In addition an extensive bibliography, the project consists a lengthy catalogue rhetorical devices, list readings from literature oratory, exercises about form questions or analytical "O.P.A." (on-page analysis) assignments. It is designed for university students as introduction style it can be analyzed primarily prose such forms expression sermons secular oratory. teaching text discusses grammar has smattering linguistics, but most part concerned with rhetoric art persuasion (especially oratory), eloquence, stylistic versatility - figures speech used speeches various reasons: auditory agreeableness (to delight audience), syntactic ingenuity impress drawing comparisons (similitudes), creating vivid images minds readers listeners. was natural me select oratory subjects because, after all, field specialization U.S. culture, also because I believe no one put together like this. Other rhetors who catalogued classical tropes schemes chosen their illustrations almost solely ancient Greek Roman British sources (Shakespeare being favorite, good reason). Some demonstrated that still much employed our time by quoting twentieth-century (with Winston Churchill favorite). typical Arts undergraduate, however, might get impression something ancients neglected on other side Atlantic Americans, instance, were so founding political utopia, taming wilderness, settling land, establishing businesses, making buck, tradition eloquence found place pragmatic culture. Less naive undergraduates may heard some legendary orators Daniel Webster, Clarence Darrow know Abraham Lincoln Martin Luther King sociohistorical point view. Senior graduate aware detailed studies specific authors know, example, more been done Hemingway, James, Melville; relatively little Poe. Still, all this, we need introductory provides survey works dedicated exploring qualities those readings. This way see well Greeks Romans, kept alive throughout Middle Ages, brilliance Renaissance writers, resorted eighteenth- nineteenth-century integral culture also, right beginnings until own time. We go back colonial era history earliest reading Jonathan Edwards's sermon "Sinners Hands Angry God." demonstrates, first, aspects Puritan its appeal reason (logos), illustrates devices would expect sermons, dialogismus, Biblical parataxis polysyndeton, epicrisis, cataplexis, categoria, dehortatio, adhortatio, oraculum, protrope. At same time, assignment requires consider idiosyncratic features style: his use metaphors, antithesis, certain types questions, redundancy, syncrisis, enargia. …