03929nam a2200529Ka 4500 ocn707926680 OCoLC 20200709055343.0 m d cr cnu---unuuu 110321s2009 dcu ob 001 0 eng d N$T N$T 9780813215785 0813215781 9780813218892 (electronic bk.) 0813218896 (electronic bk.) (OCoLC)707926680 360330 (N$T) e-uk-en PE1083 .S73 2009eb LIT 004120 bisacsh 820.9 22 N$TA Stark, Ryan J. Rhetoric, science, & magic in seventeenth-century England [electronic resource] / Ryan J. Stark. Rhetoric, science, and magic in seventeenth-century England Washington, D.C. : Catholic University of America Press, c2009. 1 online resource (vii, 234 p.) Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-225) and index. Introduction: the new plainness -- Charmed and plain tropes -- Language reform in the late seventeenth century -- Natural magic -- Demonic eloquence -- Meric Casaubon on rhetorical enthusiasm -- John Dryden, new philosophy, and rhetoric -- Conclusion: the importance of philosophy of rhetoric. "Rhetoric operated at the crux of seventeenth-century thought, from arguments between scientists and magicians to anxieties over witchcraft and disputes about theology. Writers on all sides of these crucial topics stressed rhetorical discernment, because to the astute observer the shape of one's eloquence was perhaps the most reliable indicator of the heart's piety or, alternatively, of demonry. To understand the period's tenor, we must understand the period's rhetorical thinking, which is the focus of this book. Ryan J. Stark presents a spiritually sensitive, interdisciplinary, and original discussion of early modern English rhetoric. He shows specifically how experimental philosophers attempted to disenchant language. While rationalists and skeptics delighted in this disenchantment, mystics, wizards, and other practitioners of mysterious arts vehemently opposed the rhetorical precepts of modern science. These writers used tropes not as plain instruments but rather as numinous devices capable of transforming reality. On the contrary, the new philosophers perceived all esoteric language as a threat to learning's advancement, causing them to disavow both nefarious forms of occult spell casting and, unfortunately, edifying forms of wonderment and incantation. This fundamental conflict between scientists and mystics over the nature of rhetoric is the most significant linguistic happening in seventeenth-century England, and, as Stark argues, it ought profoundly to inform how we discuss the rise of modern English writing."--Jacket. Description based on print version record. English language Early modern, 1500-1700 Rhetoric. Rhetoric Philosophy History 17th century. Occultism England History 17th century. Literature and science England History 17th century. English literature Early modern, 1500-1700 History and criticism. Rhetorik. swd Englisch. swd LITERARY CRITICISM / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh bisacsh Geschichte 1600-1700 swd Electronic books. Print version: Stark, Ryan J. Rhetoric, science, & magic in seventeenth-century England. Washington, D.C. : Catholic University of America Press, c2009 9780813215785 (DLC) 2008038128 (OCoLC)245024207 NetLibrary http://www.netLibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=360330 cpp1723AUTO 02 N$T 50283 50283