Abstract

Historians of rhetoric have recently explored how nineteenth-century women’s personal and romantic letters have offered a venue for the rhetorical work of raising consciousness, building coalitions, and contesting gender norms. This essay examines the work undertaken by Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell in their courtship correspondence. Drawing on a body of manuscript letters exchanged between 1853 and 1855 and a selection of nineteenth-century letter-writing manuals, the essay argues that the couple uses their letters to: explore their views on rhetoric; contest the genre and gender conventions being taught by manuals; and engender the possibility of forming a rhetorical alliance.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2019-07-03
DOI
10.1080/07350198.2019.1618156
Open Access
Closed
Topics

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Rhetoric Society Quarterly

Cites in this index (7)

  1. College Composition and Communication
  2. College Composition and Communication
  3. Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  4. Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  5. College Composition and Communication
Show all 7 →
  1. College English
  2. Rhetoric Review
Also cites 4 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.3138/CRAS-s036-01-03
  2. 10.1080/00335639809384203
    Quarterly Journal of Speech  
  3. 10.1111/j.0022-3840.1994.2704_125.x
    Journal of Popular Culture  
  4. 10.1080/00947679.1976.12066826
    Journalism History  
CrossRef global citation count: 3 View in citation network →