Descripciones mejoradas de Syndetics:

Evolving from the fiery oratory and booming declamations of Daniel Webster to the homey, "there-you-go-again" style of Ronald Reagan, political speech in America--and indeed our idea of eloquence--has changed dramatically in the last hundred years. In a book that abounds in humorous and revealing anecdotes, Kathleen Jamieson, author of the widely-praised Packaging the Presidency, offers a perceptive and often disturbing account of the transformation of eloquence in America.
In this wide-ranging volume, Jamieson not only addresses fundamental issues about public speaking--how has eloquence been perceived and taught since the days of Cicero and Demosthenes? What makes a speech great? Why is public speaking in the classroom in decline today?--but she also analyses individual speakers (Truman, Dewey, Reagan, Carter, Bush, Ferraro) and significant speeches. She is particularly skillful in revealing how radio and TV have reshaped political oratory. She describes how costly air time and tight news formats have shrunk political discourse from hour-long oratories to "news McNuggets" and sixty-second ads...how the one-to-one atmosphere of television has resulted in a quieter, more intimate speaking style...and how television encourages the use of visual images, with the politician's words serving as mere captions. She also critiques the pervasive use of ghost-written speeches, which can have humorous results (one speaker, intending to denounce Watergate as "this bizarre affair," misread his ghosted speech and called it "this brassiere affair") but which also poses serious questions. Are some public officials merely mouthpieces? Who really runs the country when politicians rely on others to write important policy speeches?
Ranging from the classical orations of Cicero, to Lincoln's first inaugural address, to Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, this lively, well-documented volume contains a wealth of insight into public speaking, contemporary ideas about eloquence, and the future of political discourse in America.

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

In the US today, meaty speeches on political issues are rarely made and even more rarely reach a substantial audience. In these pungently argued and neatly interconnected essays, Jamieson explains why this is so, what the consequences are, and how things might change. Americans, she shows, were once good listeners. No more. Television has contributed heavily to the transformation of political discourse. Substantive argument has given way to an obsession with perception; well-crafted discourse has lost out to catchy phrase-making. Few citizens pay much attention to political speeches, in part because they lack the background to evaluate them intelligently, in part because they distrust politicians or simply find public affairs uninteresting. Both media (with notable exceptions) and politicans have adapted to this disinterest, with significant hurtful consequences for democracy in the US. Jamieson gives special attention to the decline of the masculine ideal in American rhetoric in the age of television, and to a shrewd assessment of Ronald Reagan's particular strengths and deficiencies as a rhetorical leader. This is an outstanding book. Includes helpful illustrations. For all libraries. -M. J. Birkner, Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Booklist Review

Readers enchanted by Ronald Reagan's absorbing anecdotes may be surprised to learn that our fortieth president has only partially rehabilitated a declining tradition of political eloquence. In fact, as Jamieson traces the history of American political speechwriting, rhetorical decay emerges as her primary theme. She focuses on changes in the media and on failures in our educational system as causes of the erosion. Nineteenth-century statesmen well versed in philosophy, religion, history, and classical literature could captivate audiences for hours. Contemporary politicians rejoice if their delivery of a ghost-written speech can capture the TV cameras for 30 seconds. Yet Jamieson does more than lament virtues lost. Her probing analysis of presidential rhetoric provides some fascinating insights into the minds of America's recent leaders, including Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and-of course-Ronald Reagan. Crediting Reagan with at least reversing the downward slide of public rhetoric, Jamieson concludes with a number of valuable recommendations for stimulating a broader recovery of eloquence. Notes, bibliography; to be indexed. BJC. 808.5'1 Public speaking / Eloquence [OCLC] 87-23057

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

About the Author:
Kathleen Hall Jamieson is G.B. Dealey Professor of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin.