Burke's Ideas Research Articles

SOCIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF EDMUND BURKE’S WORK TITLED "THOUGHTS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE"

: Undoubtedly, one of the most important events that deeply affected the Western world and led to historical breakdowns and social changes especially in continental Europe, are the democratic bourgeois revolution took place in France in 1789. Debate and criticism that take place in the academic world in general about revolutions and especially about French Revolution can be evaluated in two segments. On the one hand stand those supporting idea that this struggle launched in the name of humanity promoted progress, enlightenment, human rights and freedom, on the other hand those support idea that with revolution property and rights are seized, ethical and religious values ​​that hold the institutions of society and society together are eliminated and Jacobinism and radicalism were promoted. One of those supporting this claim is Edmund Burke, who is also the subject of this article and who stood with his hard attitude towards the French Revolution during his lifetime. This article, which examines Burke's ideas about the revolution in terms of conservative politics and focuses on the significance of the revolution that has been sustaining its effect even today.

VIGOUR, ENTHUSIASM AND PRINCIPLES: EDMUND BURKE'S VIEWS OF EUROPEAN HISTORY

This essay analyses Burke's ideas on European history, which lay scattered over his works, and suggests that Burke may have considered Europe, with the notable exception of ancient Rome, as having been in a state of barbarism or confusion from the ancient era until the sixteenth century, despite the gradual development of society. Unlike some of his contemporaries, he did not closely examine the growth of a European state system, nor the rise of the balance of power in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Nor did he specially underline the collapse of feudalism and the process of establishing absolute monarchy. Instead, Burke stressed more fundamental elements. While he often drew attention to the glimmer of hope towards future prosperity amid devastation, which dominated large parts of European history, his ideas on European history reflected his long-held social theory that nations could revive and develop as long as the foundations of society were not damaged.

F. P. Lock.Edmund Burke: Volume II, 1784–1797.:Edmund Burke: Volume II, 1784–1797

This imposing second volume brings F. P. Lock's meticulously researched biography of the eminent eighteenth-century statesman and writer to a close. It is devoted primarily to the two great crusades of Edmund Burke's later political career: the sustained campaign against the abuses of empire in India in the 1780s, and Burke's epochal intervention against the French Revolution, launched by the publication of Reflections on the Revolution in France in 1790. These are perhaps Burke's main public achievements, but they are not the only landmarks of his variegated life. Burke, the gentleman farmer who struggled to make ends meet at Beaconsfield, is of as much interest to Lock as the statesman in Whitehall, and not least of the merits of the attention to detail throughout this book is how much it fills in of the rare glimpses of Burke's personal life, hitherto provided only in his letters. Burke presents an unusual problem for historical biography, however, for unlike most practicing politicians, he was also a political philosopher and an aesthetic theorist of note. His early Philosophical Enquiry in the Origins of Our Ideas on the Sublime and Beautiful (1757) launched a revolution of its own in eighteenth-century criticism. The biographer thus faces at the outset the difficulty of negotiating the “maladjusted relationship between philosophy and history” that, according to J. G. A. Pocock, has vitiated much of the history of both politics and political thought. The disparate and often elusive facts of Burke's life lend themselves to the kind of intensive empirical research at which Lock excels, but what are we to say of Burke's ideas, not to mention his extraordinary way with words, the sources of much of his contemporary reputation?

Renaissance Lyrics and Their Situations

This essay proposes a way of incorporating contextual perspectives, such as have dominated interpretation in the last quarter century, into the formal analysis of lyric poems of the English Renaissance. Following Kenneth Burke's formulation, that poems adopt "various strategies for the encompassing of situations," the discussion centers on George Gascoigne's "Gascoigne's Woodmanship" and Andrew Marvell's "An Horatian Ode upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland." While a reasonably complete interpretation of each poem is offered, the emphasis is equally on the ways in which Burke's ideas are productive for understanding the rhetoric of these and other Renaissance lyrics.

Edmund Burke, Volume II: 1784–1797 (review)

Reviewed by: Edmund Burke. Volume II: 1784-1797 P. J. Marshall Edmund Burke. Volume II: 1784-1797. By F. P. Lock, Oxford: Clarendon Press. 2006. xiv, 603 pp. £90.00. ISBN 0198206798. With this sequel to the first volume, published in 1998, which covered Burkes's life up to the great defeat of his political allies in 1784, F. P. Lock brings to a conclusion the first full-scale biography of Burke since that of Carl B. Cone, called Burke and the Nature of Politics (University of Kentucky Press, 1957-64). Burke scholarship has changed greatly over the 40 years since Cone's work appeared. The publication of Burke's correspondence in ten volumes was completed in 1970. Eight out of nine projected volumes of a new edition of his Writings and Speeches have been issued. The range of interpretative studies of Burke has widened considerably beyond the established canon of what was long taken to have been the vehicles through which he made his contribution to political thought, his published works on British politics, the American and the French revolutions. New editions and new studies of the most canonical of all, the Reflections on the Revolution in France still appear regularly, but other parts of his oeuvre now attract much more attention than used to be the case. There is much interest in Burke's aesthetic theories as expounded in A Philosophical Enquiry into the Orgin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and the Beautiful; their influence on his later writings is frequently stressed. Burke's Irishness and his early associations with Irish catholics have been seen as a formative influence on his wider views. Burke's involvement with Ireland and India have become topics for colonial and post-colonial studies. The role of Burke's ideas on economics in his political ideology is keenly debated. An attempt to bring together new material and new perspectives and to see Burke whole within the framework of a biography is thus timely and welcome. That the task should have been done with the skill and thoroughness that Professor Lock shows makes it doubly welcome. One of the outstanding qualities of both books is the strength of the documentary base on which they stand. The new editions of correspondence and works may have somewhat eased Lock's task, but he has sought high and low for additional letters by Burke and has extracted material relating to him from numerous manuscript collections. His knowledge of the relevant secondary material seems to be exhaustive. The huge range of Burke's involvements makes this in itself remarkable. Burke was a practising politician, able and usually more than willing to speak with authority on almost any issue that came before the house of commons. He was a man [End Page 422] of letters with a vast command of literary references. He had strong views on the visual arts. He took himself seriously as a farmer. He had studied the law. As Lock puts it, 'Burke believed in giving his all to his every endeavour' (p. 548) and there were many endeavours in the period covered by this volume. Lock too gives his all to elucidating these endeavours. In the process, he has clearly become something of a polymath. The book does full justice to the range of Burke's interests. There are, however, two great themes that dwarf everything else in it: these are India and the French revolution together with the European crisis that it provoked. Of these two, India has pride of place. To almost all previous Burke biographers, that would be a perverse ordering. The supreme importance of the French revolution, even allowing for a Eurocentric view of the world's history, seemed irrefutable, whereas, Burke's Indian interests, dominated by the Serbonian bog of the Hastings's trial, appeared to be of limited significance, even in the context of the history of the British empire. Western historiography has become of late a little somewhat less Eurocentric and there can be no doubt that Lock's sense of priorities was also Burke's. Burke meant what he said, when he wrote that 'the affairs of India . . . are those on which I value myself...

On Persuasion, Identification, and Dialectical Symmetry

Note: This untitled paper was found in two typed copies among the books and papers in Kenneth Burke's personal library in July 2006?one copy folded into a heavily used Loeb edition of Aristotle's Rhetoric, the other in a small file cabinet in the library.1 The two copies are nearly identical carbon copies, probably typed by Burke's wife Libby; the original has not been found.2 The paper includes brief discussions of persuasion, identification, and dialectical symmetry (hence the current title), plus brief critiques of behav iorism and general semantics, with specific reference to Alfred Korzybski's notion of the structural differential. It was probably written in the mid-1940s, after the second edition of Korzybski's Science and Sanity and The Philoso phy of Literary Form, both published in 1941; perhaps at roughly the same time as the more extended discussions of behaviorism and Korzybski in A Grammar of Motives, published in 1945; and before the full development of Burke's ideas about persuasion, identification, and dialectical symmetry in A Rhetoric of Motives, published in 1950. The paper might have been prepared for a public lecture or for circulation among Burke's literary friends, as a brief commentary on some of the key concepts in A Rhetoric of Motives, while he was completing A Grammar of Motives or perhaps shortly following its publication. If so, then it might have been written as late as 1947.3 This paper suggests that Burke's concept of identification was in part a creative response to current issues in behaviorism and general semantics, formulated in sympathy with George Herbert Mead's observations on identi fication, communication, and community in Mind, Self, and Society and The Philosophy of the Act and in opposition to Korzybski's general semantics and his structural differential. Moreover, and more important, this paper suggests that the final section of A Rhetoric of Motives, titled simply Order, is essential to a complete understanding of Burke's ideas about persuasion and identification since only in this last section does Burke show how competing points of view

Figures of Speech as Persuasive Strategies in Early Commercial Communication: The Use of Dominant Figures in the Raleigh Reports About Virginia in the 1580s

During the mid-1580s Sir Walter Raleigh, operating under letters patent of Queen Elizabeth, supported two major voyages to establish an initial colony in Virginia. These two voyages produced three major commercial reports that evaluated the economic potential of the region for English colonists and merchants. The reports, written by Arthur Barlowe, Ralph Lane, and Thomas Hariot, represent the beginnings of American commercial communication in English. Using Kenneth Burke's idea of the four major tropes, this article develops the notion of the "dominant figure"—a figure of speech that serves to focus a report's rhetorical power—to analyze the persuasive effects of these reports.

Deaf, She Wrote: Mapping Deaf Women's Autobiography

I believe, as did one of the greatest Rhe-torical scholars of the twentieth century (or probably any century), Kenneth Burke, that “[t]he human animal, as we know it, emerges into personality by first mastering whatever tribal speech happens to be its particular symbolic environment” (1346). Applying Burke's idea, I am interested in mapping the emergent personality of deaf women writers as they master the tribal speech (and sign too) of their particular region, nation, or era as well as the tribal speech of gender overlaid with the tribal speech of deafness, disability, “normalcy,” and difference.

Implications on the practice and study of Kenneth Burke's idea of a “public relations counsel with a heart”

Kenneth Burke presents his idea of “a public relations counsel with a heart” in Attitudes Toward History. This idea is a springboard to applying Burke's system to the symbolic action of public relations in practical ways. This paper takes a look at the philosophy behind Burke's idea and translates that philosophy into a practical methodology for public relations practitioners that relies on identification, terms for order and the pentad. This paper extends Burke's system by describing how to directly apply this philosophy and methodology explicitly to the practice (and teaching) ‐ the symbolic action ‐ of public relations.

Liberty, Authority, and Trust in Burke's Idea of Empire

Etude de la theorie du gouvernement imperial developpee par Burke a partir de son experience de la vie politique anglaise et de son activite parlementaire dans la seconde moitie du XVIII e siecle. Comparant la politique de la civilite defendue par l'Angleterre, au gout de la liberte caracteristique aux Etats-Unis, l'A. met en evidence la dimension ciceronienne des discours de Burke sur l'administration de la justice imperiale et la definition de l'obligation politique en termes de lien de confiance.

Liberty, Authority, and Trust in Burke's Idea of Empire

Edmund Burke ilk kez bir parlamento kariyerine basladigi zaman, Ingiliz siyasi yasami, hem parti uyeliginin dinamikleri hem de emperyalist politikalarin yonlendirilmesinde bir dizi kritik yeniden duzenlemeyle uyum surecindeydi. Yedi Yil Savaslari doneminde, yeniden yapilandirilmis bir milis kuvveti vatanseverlik coskusunun odak noktasi haline geldi, Fransa'ya karsi ulusal duyarliligi birlestirdi ve Jakoben soyleminin ve istiyakinin kalintilarini etkin bir sekilde ortadan kaldirdi. Tory ve Whig arasindaki geleneksel muhalefet ortadan kalkarken, Saltanat ve maiyeti Ulke ile birlikte Pitt-Newcastle yonetimine destek verdi. Fakat bununla birlikte, soz konusu surecte Old Corps dagildi, cunku III. George, hizipsel mucadeleye bir son verilmesi ve hukumette vatansever bir ittifakin baslamasi vaadiyle tahta gecti. Ancak, yerel siyasi sahnedeki rekabet ideolojileri ve cikarlari kapsamli bir sekilde yeniden duzenlenirken, stratejik karasal/kitasal kampanyalarla paralel olarak bir mavi su politikasinin izlenmesi Ingiltere'nin Fransa'ya karsi mucadelesini Kuzey Amerika, Karayipler ve Hindistan'a kadar tasidi. Ticaret, Asya ve Bati Afrika’ya yayilmaya devam etti, ancak ticari avantaj ilkeleri, savasin baslamasiyla surekli olarak acik bir catismaya girdi.

The Comic Frame as a Corrective to Bureaucratization: A Dramatistic Perspective on Argumentation

Critics rely on diverse writings of Kenneth Burke to provide an orientation for examination of rhetoric.(1) Among elements of Burke's dramatistic perspective applied in rhetorical studies are pentad, representative anecdote, form, identification, and scapegoating. While rhetorical theorists and critics have drawn upon Burke's ideas, scholars analyzing nature of argumentation have generally ignored utility of a Burkean outlook.(2) Even a cursory examination of contemporary texts reveals that works of Kenneth Burke have gone relatively unnoticed in field of argumentation theory.(3) Several essays by Burke provide clues about his likely outlook toward argumentation. By examining elements of those essays, this paper will initially develop relationship between dramatism and argumentation. This essay specifically examines dangers inherent in mindset that existing power structures exhibit as they attempt to uphold status quo. This mindset prevents arguments leading to creation of broader frames of reference that would better serve societal needs. The second section analyzes task of dramatistic critic of argument. Central to essay is an examination of how a dramatistic perspective on can serve to counter dangers inherent in bureaucratic mindset. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DRAMATISM AND ARGUMENTATION Burke focuses, in many of his early writings, on art and literature. It is only in his later works that he turns to explicit considerations of rhetorical practice. As a result, argument per se is a Burkean term or focal point (Kneupper 894).(4) Thus, in most cases argumentation scholars must infer a Burkean view of argumentation from his various writings. One apparent Burkean treatment of argumentative principles lies in his consideration of syllogistic progression. This is the of a perfectly conducted argument, advancing step by step.... To go from A to E through stages B, C, and D is to obtain such form (Counter-Statement 124). However, Burke later argues that normal practice reverses usual progression of moving from data to conclusion. Instead, the conclusion had led to selection and arrangement of data.... From what we want to arrive at, we deduce our ways of getting there, although conventions of logical exposition usually present things other way round (Permanence 98; see also 98-99). Similarly, response to an usually does follow traditional form. One person may logically lay out an from point 1, through point 2, to point 3. However, a second person responding to that often answers, not by taking up each point in turn and refuting it, but by saying simply, 'The man is a bourgeois,' or 'He has a mother complex,'--or 'He wants job instead' (Burke, Permanence 109). Another treatment by Burke of argumentation principles lies in his consideration of facts. Burke's essay Fact, Inference, and Proof in Analysis of Literary Symbolism considers relationship of those three terms in analyses of literary texts (Terms 145-172). Burke argues goal of essay is to ask: ... how to operate with |the facts of a text~, how to use them as a means of keeping one's inferences under control, yet how to go beyond them, for purposes of inference, when seeking to characterize motives and salient traits of work.... (Terms 145) Burke argues many observations normally treated as fact are actually inferences, as authors smuggle interpretations into their reports of factual (Terms 147). Beyond specific passages identified above, Burke often instead relies on metaphors when discussing argumentation. One of Burke's metaphors for is that an author exploitsa set of terms, advocating a cause like a lawyer would plead a case in courtroom (Attitudes 293). A second Burkean metaphor for is gaming. …

The Terror of Transformation in Varlam Shalamov's Stories

Much discussion has been devoted to literary aspects of acts of terror. George Gibian 3 and Terrence Des Pres 4 have suggested a way of looking at terror which is both valuable and productive when examining multitude of perplexing literary texts which deal with terror of Soviet prison camps. An aspect of terror that has not been developed, however, is that which underlies acts themselves-the terror inherent in transformation of a complete human being into a living shell. Both authors have touched upon theme, but neither has explored it. Gibian states that terror leads to a transformation of the person committing or suffering violent act into a sort of beast.s Des Pres, in his discussion of Edmund Burke's ideas on terror, comes to agree with Burke that ultimately terror shows us disintegration of human image, that terror collapses

Some considerations on the nature of plot

People have long accepted the idea that there are certain basic plots, of which many stories are variations of specific realizations. The search for the most basic plot formulae has been carried on by some (e.g. T. Todorov and G. Prince) as a parallel to the linguistic study of grammar. Just as linguistics attempts to specify rules of syntax which will hold for any contents, so those who attempt to define narrative structures as a grammar separate semantics from syntax and concentrate completely on the latter. I find that this approach does not and can not work. The reader's sense of meaning and value is inextricably part of his sense of form. I support this claim both by arguing against Prince and Todorov and also by examining the difference between sentences which seem to be plot summaries and sentences which seem plotless. The difference lies not in syntax but in the presence of evaluation or meaning. Turning towards Kenneth Burke's idea of a “psychology of form”, I explore two kinds of plots: those of knowledge, a testing of truth, and those of desire, a testing of value. Ultimately I suggest that the form of plots derives from the form of the act of reading, with its initial expectations, tentative judgments, and process of discovery.

Kenneth Burke's prolegomena to the study of the rhetoric of form

Rhetorical analysts have had difficulty dealing with phenomena of form. Kenneth Burke's ideas regarding the rhetoric of form provide a productive way to begin to conceptualize and analyze the rhetoric of form. Burke traces human forming from the most fundamental level of tacit symbolic “fixing” through more sophisticated kinds of systemic “knowing” to the manipulating of technical forms for the purpose of evoking response. Certain critical operations to account for the rhetoric of form are appropriate in view of Burke's conceptualization.

Edmund Burke's Idea of the Body Corporate: A Study in Imagery

Burke is recognized as master of a language highly figurative, full of grace and telling images. But the imagery of nonfiction prose is not so much studied as the imagery of poetry, drama, and fiction. It should be. It reveals a great deal about a thinker. I have not studied Burke's imagery to spy on his personal life, conscious or subconscious, as some students of other writers do, nor have I tried to evaluate his style. I have used it as an oblique way of getting at the meaning of some of his concepts and I think it reveals something about his place in the history of ideas, making him a stalwart of eighteenth-century ways of thinking, instead of a harbinger of the nineteenth century.