Blair's Rhetoric In Relation To Eighteenth Century Aesthetics

Abstract

Hugh Blair's Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres is a celebrated work which belongs to the realm of rhetoric. It was used widely as a guide and text in rhetorical study and intellectual discipline during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Blair's Rhetoric is a corpus of principles and opinions about literature which forms a suitable and desirable subject for rhetorical study. However, its point of view is one frequently assumed in literary criticism, namely, the rhetorical point of view, and its importance as a document in the history of. eighteenth century literary criticism was undoubtedly great. It is my purpose to view Blair's Rhetoric as a document in the history of literary criticism and as a representative eighteenth century treatment of literary problems. Most of the literary criticism of the eighteenth century revolves around the age's concept of Beauty, Sublimity, Imitation and Taste. If one can come to a knowledge of what the eighteenth century meant by these terms, understanding of their position in regard to literary criticism will follow. Hence the specific purpose of this paper will be to consider Blair's Rhetoric as a representative treatment of literary matters against the background of eighteenth century thought and literary theory, to examine Blair's understanding and treatment of Beauty, Sublimity, Imitation and Taste, and to distinguish Blair's treatment of these terms and concepts for the purpose of discovering eighteenth century notions. In order to accomplish these purposes effectively, it will be necessary to give the background of the term rhetoric and to show its relation to criticism and other matters involved in the eighteenth century discussions of' literary problems. It will be necessary to examine the meaning of the term rhetoric and the problems involved in literary criticism. Blair's ideas will be examined in order to make understandable what the eighteenth century was doing with the rhetorical tradition of the ancients, and to find the influences shaping eighteenth century literary notions in order to find the problems regarded as chiefly important at this time. It will be necessary to deal with Blair’s notion and concept of Beauty. His treatment of the term in relation to eighteenth century notions will be considered. There will be an attempt to find what he meant by this term in order to get nearer to the solution of the critical problems of' the time. Likewise, Sublimity, Imitation and Taste respectively will be treated in the same manner as Beauty. In conclusion, on the basis of the matters considered, we should be able to come to some evaluation of the worth of this eighteenth century development. We can determine how Blair represented this movement and whether or not he made valuable contributions to it. Eighteenth century literary criticism lacks defintion. This failure of clarity in direction in eighteenth century criticism is partly due to the nature of some of its concepts. They are of a kind which defy clear-cut delineation. However, these concepts are of value and the fact must be faced that historically they were the factors shaping literary ideals. Blair's Rhetoric was an attempt to explain and organize these concepts into a single position or attitude toward literature, and, as such, this work deserves the study and attention of the student of literature.