Rhetoric Review Jan 2012

Rhetorical Education for the Nineteenth-Century Pulpit: Austin Phelps and the Influence of Christian Transcendentalism at Andover Theological Seminary

Michael-John DePalma Baylor University

Abstract

This archival study examines the rhetorical theory and writing pedagogy of Austin Phelps, an accomplished nineteenth-century preacher and professor of sacred rhetoric at Andover Theological Seminary. In disclosing Phelps's contributions to nineteenth-century rhetorical theory and pedagogy at the first graduate seminary in the United States, this article highlights the ways that Phelps's melding of American transcendentalist thought and Christian orthodoxy enabled him to adapt nineteenth-century rhetorical theory and pedagogy in important ways. By demonstrating the extent to which Phelps's discussions of practical rhetorical wisdom and experiential preaching complicate documented trends in rhetorical education at American colleges during the nineteenth century, this research aims to bring out a layer of the curriculum that other histories of writing instruction during the nineteenth century have not thoroughly investigated.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2012-01-01
DOI
10.1080/07350198.2012.630951
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Open Access
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Topics
modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy graduate education
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Cope (2015)
    “Inspiration of Delivery”: John A. Broadus and the Evangelical Underpinnings of…
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  2. Hirst (2013)
    The Influence of Theology on the Rhetorical Theory of Austin Phelps
    Advances in the History of Rhetoric

References (27) · 4 in this index

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  4. Coleridge Samuel Taylor (1829)
    Aids to Reflection, in the Formation of Manly Character on the Several Grounds of Prudenc…
     ↗
  5. Connors Robert J. (2003)
    Selected Essays of Robert J. Connors
Show all 27 →
  1. Connors Robert J. (2003)
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  2. DePalma (2008)
    Austin Phelps and the Spirit (of) Composing: An Exploration of Nineteenth-Centu…
    Rhetoric Review
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    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
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    Rhetoric at the Margins: Revising the History of Writing Instruction in American Colleges…
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    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
CrossRef global citation count: 3 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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