Transformations of Rhetoric in the Eigtheenth Century
Between the Public, the Private and the Arcane
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52610/rhs.v15i59.176Keywords:
public sphere, gender, arcanum, cultures of politenes, Habermas, ArendtAbstract
In discussions about the rise of the eighteenth-century modern public sphere theorists such as Habermas, Arendt and
Koselleck have emphasised, and idealised, the communicative strive for transparency, rationality and egalitarianism. In this article,
the discussions concerns a neglected factor of the emerging public sphere: the rhetorical function of arcanum, or secrecy. The purpose of the article is twofold, first to discuss the notions of public, private and arcanum within modern theories of the public sphere and rhetoric; secondly to explore these notions with regard to cultures of politeness in the Swedish eighteenth century. During the period in question, and in the contexts at hand, perspicuitas and dialectical argumentation is seen as an ideal, but at the same time, communication within the early modern public sphere is to a large extent also characterised by secrecy. A review of sources from two examples of cultures of politeness (belletristic societies and essay papers) reveals the gendered process of power, by which some participants are seen as politically valid citizens, and thus included in the public dialogue, and some are excluded.
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