ENGL / COMM 4103 Rhetoric and Persuasion

1. ENGL / COMM 4103Rhetoric and Persuasion Augustine: De Doctrina Christiana, Book IV

2. From Augustine to Christine de Pizan • Boethius (AD 480 – 524) • Explored the relationship and boundary between philosophy and rhetoric. • Philosophy deals with general questions (theses); rhetoric with the specific application (hypotheses) • The Three Ars: • Most Medieval Rhetoric is concerned with reorganizing Classical Rhetoric (e.g. Boethius), letter writing, poetry, and preaching.

3. Women in Medieval Rhetoric “Medieval women were eloquent. They had to use language effectively to be queens and courtiers, heads of religious houses, partners in family businesses and trades, and guides for the young. They engaged continually in rhetorical activity.” (Bizzell and Herzberg 540)

4. Medieval Women’s Rhetoric • General Characteristics • Practice vs. Theory • As in the Classical Era, women had extremely limited access to education. • The study of Medieval women’s rhetoric is thus the study of rhetorical practice, rather that rhetorical theory. • Two Ars: Dictaminis and Poetica • Women had almost no opportunity to practice arspraedicandi; almost all rhetorical activity by women of the Medieval period is letter writing (and other correspondence) and poetry. • Letters and poetry were socially acceptable venues for women to participate in discourse.

5. Christine de Pizan “[P]erhaps the first ‘woman of letters’ the West has produced, was Christine de Pizan” (Bizzell and Herzberg 540)

6. Christine de Pizan • Court Rhetoric for Women: Treasure of the City of Ladies • Christine’s work is not so much concerned with rhetorical theory, as with situational propriety: correct speech in all situations. • This advice is intended for women serving in royal households, though it has broader application. • Much of the advice is supported by Biblical quotations and concepts. • Theoretically, Christine seems most concerned with a sense of audience – propriety demands a thorough understanding of audience expectations.

7. Glenn on Medieval Women: “Theirs was a rhetoric of unity and inclusion, of theology: as women, they spoke and wrote a female presence into the Trinity; they spoke and wrote the common people into their religious beliefs and their discussions (466).

8. Julian of Norwich • Julian’s Significance • A (rare) major female voice in early English literature. • “Wrote” (composed) in the vernacular—in English, specifically. • This decision helped elevate the importance of English at a time when Latin (for the church) and French (for the court) were the preeminent languages in England. • Earliest extent writing in English by a woman. • Julian’s rhetorical approach made Christianity more available to the average lay person.

9. Margery Kempe • Significance • First female English autobiographer. • Demonstrates a highly sophisticated sense of the rhetorical situation: author – audience – text.