Voices in the Wilderness

Public Discourse and the Paradox of Puritan Rhetoric

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Public Speaking, Rhetoric, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, American
Cover of the book Voices in the Wilderness by Patricia Roberts-Miller, University of Alabama Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Patricia Roberts-Miller ISBN: 9780817387587
Publisher: University of Alabama Press Publication: June 30, 2014
Imprint: University Alabama Press Language: English
Author: Patricia Roberts-Miller
ISBN: 9780817387587
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Publication: June 30, 2014
Imprint: University Alabama Press
Language: English

What has gone wrong with discourse and deliberation in the United States? It remains monologic, argues Patricia Roberts-Miller in Voices in the Wilderness, which traces America’s dominant form of argumentation back to its roots in the rhetorical tradition of 17th-century American Puritans. A work of composition theory, rhetorical theory, and cultural criticism, this volume ultimately provides not only new approaches to argumentation and the teaching of rhetoric, composition, and communication but also an original perspective on the current debate over public discourse

Both Jürgen Habermas and Wayne Booth—two of the most influential theorists in the domain of public discourse and good citizenry—argue for an inclusive public deliberation that involves people who are willing to listen to one another, to identify points of agreement and disagreement, and to make good faith attempts to validate any disputed claims. The Puritan voice crying in the wilderness, Roberts-Miller shows, does none of these things. To this individual of conscience engaged in a ceaseless battle of right and wrong against greedy philistines, all inclusion, mediation, and reciprocity are seen as evil, corrupting, and unnecessary. Hence, the voice in the wilderness does not in any real sense participate in public deliberation, only in public pronouncement.

Arguing that our culture’s continuing affection for the ethos of the voice crying in the wilderness is one of our more troubling inheritances from the early American ambivalence to public discourse—including the Puritan denigration of rhetoric—Roberts-Miller contends that the monologic discourse of the Puritans in fact contains within it arguments for dialogism. Thus, the history of rhetoric can provide much richer fields for reimagining discourse than heretofore credited. Roberts-Miller concludes by extending her findings into their practical applications for argumentation in the public sphere and in the composition classroom.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

What has gone wrong with discourse and deliberation in the United States? It remains monologic, argues Patricia Roberts-Miller in Voices in the Wilderness, which traces America’s dominant form of argumentation back to its roots in the rhetorical tradition of 17th-century American Puritans. A work of composition theory, rhetorical theory, and cultural criticism, this volume ultimately provides not only new approaches to argumentation and the teaching of rhetoric, composition, and communication but also an original perspective on the current debate over public discourse

Both Jürgen Habermas and Wayne Booth—two of the most influential theorists in the domain of public discourse and good citizenry—argue for an inclusive public deliberation that involves people who are willing to listen to one another, to identify points of agreement and disagreement, and to make good faith attempts to validate any disputed claims. The Puritan voice crying in the wilderness, Roberts-Miller shows, does none of these things. To this individual of conscience engaged in a ceaseless battle of right and wrong against greedy philistines, all inclusion, mediation, and reciprocity are seen as evil, corrupting, and unnecessary. Hence, the voice in the wilderness does not in any real sense participate in public deliberation, only in public pronouncement.

Arguing that our culture’s continuing affection for the ethos of the voice crying in the wilderness is one of our more troubling inheritances from the early American ambivalence to public discourse—including the Puritan denigration of rhetoric—Roberts-Miller contends that the monologic discourse of the Puritans in fact contains within it arguments for dialogism. Thus, the history of rhetoric can provide much richer fields for reimagining discourse than heretofore credited. Roberts-Miller concludes by extending her findings into their practical applications for argumentation in the public sphere and in the composition classroom.

More books from University of Alabama Press

Cover of the book Tsewa's Gift by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book These Rugged Days by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book Sparrow and the Hawk by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book Protecting Heritage in the Caribbean by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book Civil War Alabama by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book Differentials by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book Making Camp by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book Intimacy by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book Place Names in Alabama by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book A New Vision of Southern Jewish History by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book The Myth of Ephraim Tutt by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book Gertrude Stein and the Reinvention of Rhetoric by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book Air Power in War by Patricia Roberts-Miller
Cover of the book Bourbon Democracy in Alabama, 1874–1890 by Patricia Roberts-Miller
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy