Document Type
Thesis - University Access Only
Award Date
2011
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department / School
Communication Studies and Theatre
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to further understand The Great Awakening religious movement that took place in the eighteenth century by analyzing the rhetoric of the movement. Two sermons by two Great Awakening preachers, Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, were analyzed as representative rhetoric of the time period. Included in the study is a review of literature on The Great Awakening, eighteenth-century rhetoric, Aristotelean rhetoric, and the two preachers analyzed. Additionally, the study employed a neo-Aristotelean Rhetorical Criticism Method to analyze and compare the sermons. This method was used to explore the rhetors' use of logic, reasoning, organization, and language use, derived from an emphasis on the canons of rhetoric. Specifically, invention, arrangement, and style were utilized to draw conclusions and implications about the preaching of this unique historical phenomenon. The results yielded a number of findings including transcendent descriptions of God, an emphasis on the Bible, and the goal of genuine conversion to Christianity.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Sermons, American -- 18th century -- History and criticism
Great Awakening
Edwards, Jonathan, 1703-1758 -- Sermons -- History and criticism
Whitefield, George, 1714-1770 -- Sermons -- History and criticism
Rhetorical criticism
Format
application/pdf
Number of Pages
109
Publisher
South Dakota State University
Recommended Citation
Ristau, Scott, "Neo-Aristotelean Rhetorical Criticism of Sermons from The Great Awakening" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1839.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd2/1839