The prophetic tradition and radical rhetoric in America / James Darsey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Darsey, James, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social problems--United States.

Social problems.

Prophecy--Social aspects--United States.

Prophecy.

Radicalism--United States.

Radicalism.

Rhetoric--Social aspects--United States.

Rhetoric.

English language--United States--Rhetoric.

English language.

Political oratory--Social aspects--United States.

Political oratory.

United States--Social conditions--1980-2020.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (294 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : New York University Press, [1997]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This expansive volume traces the rhetoric of reform across American history, examining such pivotal periods as the American Revolution, slavery, McCarthyism, and today's gay liberation movement. At a time when social movements led by religious leaders, from Louis Farrakhan to Pat Buchanan, are playing a central role in American politics, James Darsey connects this radical tradition with its prophetic roots. Public discourse in the West is derived from the Greek principles of civility, diplomacy, compromise, and negotiation. On this model, radical speech is often taken to be a symptom of social disorder. Not so, contends Darsey, who argues that the rhetoric of reform in America represents the continuation of a tradition separate from the commonly accepted principles of the Greeks. Though the links have gone unrecognized, the American radical tradition stems not from Aristotle, he maintains, but from the prophets of the Hebrew Bible.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Preface

1. Radical Rhetoric and American Community

2. Old Testament Prophecy as Radical Ursprach

3. Prophecy as Sacred Truth

4. Prophecy as Krisis

5. The Prophet's Call and His Burden

6. The Word in Darkness

7. A Vision of the Apocalypse

8. Prophecy as Poetry

9. Secular Argument and the Language of Commodity

10. The Seraph and the Snake

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-267) and index.

This eBook is made available Open Access under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Jun 2020)

ISBN:

9780814720981

0814720986

9780585239804

0585239800

OCLC:

784884434