Eloquence in an Electronic Age : The Transformation of Political Speechmaking

In a book that blends anecdote with analysis, Kathleen Hall Jamieson--author of the award-winning Packaging the Presidency--offers a perceptive and often disturbing account of the transformation of political speechmaking. Jamieson addresses such fundamental issues about public speaking as what talents and techniques differentiate eloquent speakers from non-eloquent speakers. She also analyzes the speeches of modern presidents from Truman to Reagan and of political players from Daniel Webster to Mario Cuomo. Ranging from the classical orations of Cicero to Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, this lively, well-documented volume contains a wealth of insight into public speaking, contemporary characteristics of eloquence, and the future of political discourse in America. In a book that blends anecdote with analysis, Kathleen Hall Jamieson--author of the award-winning Packaging the Presidency--offers a perceptive and often disturbing account of the transformation of political speechmaking.Jamieson addresses such fundamental issues about public speaking as what talents and techniques differentiate eloquent speakers from non-eloquent speakers. She also analyzes the speeches of modern presidents from Truman to Reagan and of political players from Daniel Webster to Mario Cuomo. Ranging from the classical orations of Cicero to Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, this lively, well-documented volume contains a wealth of insight into public speaking, contemporary characteristics of eloquence, and the future of political discourse in America. Frontmatter I. Educating the Eloquent Speaker (page 3) 2. Incapacitating the Eloquent Speaker (page 31) 3. The Flame of Oratory, The Fireside Chat (page 43) 4. The "Effeminate" Style (page 67) 5. The Memorable Phrase, The Memorable Picture (page 90) 6. Dramatizing and Storytelling (page 118) 7. Conversation and Self-Revelation (page 165) 8. The Divorce Between Speech and Thought (page 201) 9. Mating the Best of the Old and the New (page 238) Notes (page 257) Bibliography (page 269) Index (page 293)