Rhetorica Feb 1998

Grounds of Assent in Joseph Priestley's <i>A Course of Lectures on Oratory and Criticism</i>

Ann L. George

Abstract

Abstract: Despite Joseph Priestley's contemporary importance, little has been written on his rhetoric, A Course of Lectures on Oratory and Criticism (1762). Most commentators group him with the other new rhetoricians Smith, Campbell, and Blair, ignoring the philosophical foundations as well as the political and educational practices that informed Priestley's rhetorical theory. Located within a larger context of reform and a specific rhetorical situation at Warrington Academy, Priestley's Lectures illustrate his attempt to establish rational argument as the most compelling way for Dissenters to argue for religious and civil liberty, a goal that clearly distinguishes Priestley from his Scottish contemporaries and that marks the source of his most original contributions to eighteenth-century rhetoric.

Journal
Rhetorica
Published
1998-02-01
DOI
10.1525/rh.1998.16.1.81
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Topics
modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism public rhetoric
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  1. Campbell (1964)
    10.1080/10417946409371765
    Southern Speech Joumal  ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 3 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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