Examines how the timing of Virginia's Ratification Convention twisted the principles of presumption and burden of proof in favor of the Federalists. Applies Richard Whately's rhetorical constructs to actual debates to analyze rhetorical strategies and voting behavior. Argues the need to modify the meaning of presumption and burden of proof. (KEH)

Discusses the reclusive life of Emily Dickinson, recounting the discovery of Dickinson's poems after her death. Concentrates on the problems Dickinson's sister encountered in securing an editor. Contends that Dickinson's poems were distorted by editors and critics, and includes the original version of "Because I Could Not Stop for…

Critiques the writings of historians Frederick Jackson Turner and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., arguing that the experiences and viewpoints of Native Americans are largely absent. Describes the inaccuracies of the eurocentric view common to typical presentations of American history and calls for integration of Native Americans into the nation's…

David Wisniewski's 1992 picture book version of the African epic of "Sundiata, Lion King of Mali" and the actual historical account of the 13th century Lion King, Sundiata, are both badly served by Disney's "The Lion King." Disney has been praised for using African animals as story characters; for using the African landscape as…

Based on the idea that the study of postmodernism is a useful and valuable pursuit because it engages students in discussions of fundamental questions about the individual's situation in the world, this book takes an interdisciplinary approach to address postmodernism effectively. The book conceives postmodernism as a widespread cultural…

This book, originally an invited lecture given at Harvard, recounts the formative experiences of Alfred Kazin, a Distinguished Professor of English, Emeritus, at Hunter College and at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and a well-known literary critic. A blend of autobiography, history, and criticism that moves from New York in…

Noting that college students in the 1990s are once again becoming interested in religious/spiritual phenomena, this analysis of religious humanism as persuasive discourse first touches upon the event-filled 1960s and 70s, which saw social unrest and turbulent change, much of it emanating from university students. As background, the analysis points…

To study any social movement is ultimately to examine an intricate social drama. With the publication of "The Jungle" in 1906, Upton Sinclair emerged from the stormy background of the muckraking movement to become one of that movement's principal actors. But in the 1920s, long after the Progressive reformers dusted and put away their…

"A Millionaire at Sixteen" is the second volume of the "All-Over-the-World" series; and while the book may be read independently of the first, it is the continuation of the adventures of Louis Belgrave, who was presented to the reader in the preceding story. After the first volume, the author hopes to not be accused with being…

A discussion of the life and work of Yaqui poet Refugio Savala includes analysis of selected poems, "corridos," and original and traditional tales. The article includes a discussion of the style, content, tone, and background of his English language autobiography and explains the editing which occurred prior to its publication. (SB)

Describes the success of the Populist movement in the 1890s, arguing that it provides a case study of the power and limitations of mythic appeals to transcend diverse political ideologies. Argues that Populist extensions of the agrarian myth to encompass industrial laborers, suffragists, and prohibitionists were motivated by political expediency.…

Examines Western films in context of post-World War II attitudes regarding racial equality. Film "Broken Arrow" and Eliott Arnold's novel "Blood Brother," both recounting story of Apache chief Cochise, examined as benchmark works in national racial attitudes. Films generally seen as supporting Indian assimilation into White…

Reviews literature from the first quarter of the nineteenth-century Victorian period. Examines how several Victorian novelists constructed new kinds of heroic stories, combining moral instruction with dynamic storytelling for their young audience. (MG)

Provides two contexts for rhetorical analyses of Lucretia Coffin Mott's speech on women: namely, the context defined Richard Henry Dana Sr.'s speech on women, which Mott heard and then responded to in her speech; and the context of contemporary feminist discourse which Mott comments on in an interesting way. (TB)

The 16 papers presented in this collection all deal with journalism and journalists from colonial America through the 19th century. The papers and their authors are: "Fighting for a Continent: Newspaper Coverage of the English and French War for Control of North America, 1754-1760" (David A. Copeland); "A Romance with 'Local'…