This article examines the ideological functions of seventeenth-century ceremonial oratory by distinguishing between two related rhetorical strategies: textual image and propaganda, defined as the promotion of a policy. This distinction helps characterize the particular nature of Louis XIV's régime, instead of anachronistically equating it with modern totalitarianism. If pursued in other contexts it can serve to illuminate the mechanisms of personality cult in general. Fashioning an image of the ruler with the help of an institutional apparatus which varies with the régime is a way to create public confidence in his/her ability. A well-established absolutist monarchy should not require propagandistic discourse; yet it was ubiquitous in Louis XIV's global design for government. This suggests a dialectical interpretation. When belief in the monarch's greatness fails to produce blind faith in his/her infallibility, propaganda may take over to bolster persuasion. When counter-propaganda, or facts, become insistently present, image may again appear as an expedient alternative.

Research Article| February 01 1994 Descartes and the Resilience of Rhetoric: Varieties of Cartesian Rhetorical Theory Thomas M. Carr,Descartes and the Resilience of Rhetoric: Varieties of Cartesian Rhetorical Theory(Carbondale and Edwardsville: Southern Illinois University Press, 1990), xi + 213 pp. Pierre Zoberman Pierre Zoberman 108 rue J.P. Timbaud, 75011 Paris, France. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Rhetorica (1994) 12 (1): 115–117. https://doi.org/10.1525/rh.1994.12.1.115 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Pierre Zoberman; Descartes and the Resilience of Rhetoric: Varieties of Cartesian Rhetorical Theory. Rhetorica 1 February 1994; 12 (1): 115–117. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/rh.1994.12.1.115 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentRhetorica Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1994, The International Society for the History of Rhetoric1994 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.