Description
Book SynopsisThis book examines a wide swath of political discourse to shed new light on the meaning and significance of eloquence. Roderick P. Hart, a leading scholar of political communication, develops new ways of measuring persuasiveness and rhetorical power through the use of computer-based methods.
Trade ReviewThis brilliant book was like taking a walk through US history with a good (and smart!) friend by my side. I was excited to see where many of my favorites, like Barbara Jordan, would land in Hart’s assessment. I truly enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to all who care about our democracy and where it is going. -- Terri Givens, author of
Radical Empathy: Finding a Path to Bridging Racial DividesIn this eloquent analysis of eloquence, Roderick Hart pulls out all the stops to diagnose, to redeem, and even to measure. Eloquence can be unsafe and even illegal, but it can also save us. Itself a compendium of eloquent remarks by others (and the author), this book might be just what is needed as American democracy hangs in the balance. -- John Durham Peters, coauthor of
Promiscuous Knowledge: Information, Image, and Other Truth Games in HistoryAmerican Eloquence marshals Hart’s decades of experience as a rhetorical critic, bolstered by the calculative capacity of the digital humanities, to illustrate why “eloquence is an abiding human need.” Readers will find his Eloquence Index stimulating, and the author’s rapid-fire wit should keep everyone engaged. -- Celeste Michelle Condit, author of
Angry Public Rhetorics: Global Relations and Emotion in the Wake of 9/11Democracy at once depends upon eloquence and treats eloquence suspiciously. The label can serve as praise, as denigration, even as a backhanded compliment or a self-own. Using a remarkable range of method,
American Eloquence presents a compelling, sophisticated, and approachable account of what makes eloquence work and how it animates political discourse in the United States. -- Andrew Perrin, author of
American Democracy: From Tocqueville to Town Halls to TwitterOne of our most adroit scholars of American political speech, Rod Hart wrests eloquence from all its contradictions--from its power to inspire the better angels of our nation to the dangers of disinformation, demonization and demagoguery.
American Eloquence is thought provoking, fun, nostalgic, sometimes scary but always bracing.
-- Charlton McIlwain, author of
Black Software: The Internet & Racial Justice, from the AfroNet to Black Lives MatterTable of Contents1. Eloquence: Why?
2. Eloquence: When and Where?
3. Eloquence: How?
4. Cultural Resonance
5. Personal Investment
6. Poetic Imagination
7. Eloquence Assessed
8. Eloquence Tomorrow
Appendix: “Importance” Versus “Eloquence” Rankings for Twentieth-Century Speeches
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
