Research Article| January 01 2002 Using Historical Practices to Teach Rhetorical Theory Wade Mahon Wade Mahon Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Pedagogy (2002) 2 (1): 61–78. https://doi.org/10.1215/15314200-2-1-61 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Wade Mahon; Using Historical Practices to Teach Rhetorical Theory. Pedagogy 1 January 2002; 2 (1): 61–78. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/15314200-2-1-61 Download citation file: 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 Books & JournalsAll JournalsPedagogy Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2002 Duke University Press2002 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal Issue Section: Cluster on Technology You do not currently have access to this content.

Abstract Although viewed as problematic and strange by many scholars, the elocutionary theories of Thomas Sheridan deserve more scholarly attention because of their unique understanding of the relationships between writing, oral reading, performance, and literary consumption. In contrast to Hugh Blair's emphasis on silent reading and tasteful (and passive) appreciation of literature, Sheridan concentrates on tasteful (and active) interpretation of literature through oral performance. Sheridan's theories complicate our understanding of eighteenth‐century rhetoric, its relationship to “literature,”; and its lasting effects on educational practices.