The Cambridge Companion to Abraham Lincoln

by Edited by Shirley Samuels

• ISBN13: 9780521145732
• ISBN10: 0521145732
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-07-23
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Abraham Lincoln's stature as an American cultural figure grows from his political legacy. In today's milieu, the speeches he delivered as the sixteenth president of the United States have become synonymous with American progress, values and exceptionalism. But what makes Lincoln's language so effective? Highlighting matters of style, affect, nationalism and history in nineteenth-century America, this collection examines the rhetorical power of Lincoln's prose - from the earliest legal decisions, stump speeches, anecdotes and letters, to the Gettysburg Address and the lingering power of the Second Inaugural Address. Through careful analysis of his correspondence with Civil War generals and his early poetry, the contributors, all literary and cultural critics, give readers a unique look into Lincoln's private life. Such a collection enables teachers, students, and readers of American history to assess the impact of this extraordinary writer - and rare politician - on the world's stage.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations

List of contributors

Chronology

Introduction

Rhetorically Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln and oratorical culture

Abraham Lincoln and poetry

Seeing Lincoln: visual encounters

The Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural

Lincoln and the natural nation

Abraham Lincoln and the American Indians

Abraham Lincoln and the self-governing constitution

Abraham Lincoln and spiritual crisis

Lincoln and England during the Civil War

Lincoln in international memory

Lincoln in hemispheric relations

Lincoln and the calling of the dead

Guide to further reading

Index

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