Texts in Context: Critical Dialogues on Significant Episodes in American Political Rhetoric

This volume is the result of a conference convened at Madison under the title, "The Wisconsin Symposium on Public Address: Case Studies in Political Rhetoric." The format was designed to allow maximum concentration on case studies and to promote as much open discussion as possible. The discussion periods proved lively and stimulating, and they contributed greatly to the vitality of the conference. Unfortunately, there was trouble finding a way to reproduce these conversations in a form that would interest or make sense to a reader. An effort was made to retain something of the spirit of exchange and controversy that marked the conference.

For that reason, the papers and responses are published in paired sets, each one forming a chapter of this volume. Almost all of these contributions have been revised significantly as a result of comment and criticism generated at the conference. Nevertheless, the basic pattern remains unchanged. The responses all suggest alternative interpretations of the same text or texts, and the reader perhaps can sense how subsequent discussion might follow from a consideration of these differing perspectives. The conference had its origin in conversation and much of its business was conducted through that medium.