18th century elocutionism and the school of taste as a vehicle of imperial expansionism

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the meteoric rise of the "Elocutionist Movement" and the "School of Taste" in the eighteenth century. It is an attempt to answer the question: why did such an enormous interest in such nebulous concepts as "taste" and "elocution" emanate and peak in the eighteenth century? To help in this project, I explored the works of Hugh Blair and the "School of Taste," and two Irish elocutionists, Thomas Sheridan and Gilbert Austin, all of whom played a significant role in the development of modern rhetorical theory. The outcome shows how the "Elocutionist Movement" and the "School of Taste" supported the imperialist mores of a dominant culture and subsequently became a vehicle for imperial expansionism.