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Visualizing the Vir Bonus in Charles Dickens's Scenes of Persuasion : The Rhetoric of Pity, Sentiment, Fact, and Debt

Teubler, Lisa-Marie LU (2019)
Abstract
Charles Dickens’s novels are filled with scenes of persuasion—moments of heightened rhetoric. Through
these scenes, the novels present a moral rhetoric and a person that uses this rhetoric toward ethical
ends: a vir bonus. In particular, my study has focused on two separate but related levels of persuasion;
the first remains within the narrative and the second takes into account the level between the text and its
readers. The analysis of A Christmas Carol contends that readers witness the persuasion of Scrooge, a
miser who learns to accept the kairos of Christmastime to become a kind, charitable man. Oliver Tiwst,
this study argues, represents a rhetoric of pity through which both those who are pitied and those... (More)
Charles Dickens’s novels are filled with scenes of persuasion—moments of heightened rhetoric. Through
these scenes, the novels present a moral rhetoric and a person that uses this rhetoric toward ethical
ends: a vir bonus. In particular, my study has focused on two separate but related levels of persuasion;
the first remains within the narrative and the second takes into account the level between the text and its
readers. The analysis of A Christmas Carol contends that readers witness the persuasion of Scrooge, a
miser who learns to accept the kairos of Christmastime to become a kind, charitable man. Oliver Tiwst,
this study argues, represents a rhetoric of pity through which both those who are pitied and those who
provide the pity can be saved. This chapter shows that appeals to pathos are particularly effective in this
context. The analysis of Hard Times has found that pity and benevolence no longer function as
straightforward solutions to the problems that the novel stages. Instead, it paints a grim picture of what
happens when the fundamental logos of a society is misguided and when the most powerful rhetoricians
are not ethical. Finally, the analysis of Little Dorrit continues to discuss the issue of dangerous
rhetoricians and highlights in particular the concept of ethos as a valuable way of understanding selffashioning
and fraud. In addition, the analysis of this novel discusses the concepts of debt and credit and
their importance to communities. (Less)
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author
supervisor
opponent
  • Professor Dinah Birch, University of Liverpool
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Charles Dickens, Fact, Debt, Pity, ethos, logos, pathos, rhetoric, persuasion, kairos, vir bonus
pages
190 pages
publisher
Lund University
defense location
SOL, H104
defense date
2019-09-28 10:00:00
ISBN
978-91-88899-56-9
978-91-88899-55-2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
cf28c7bf-ce43-479c-b691-0cba0b311b52
date added to LUP
2019-08-19 15:59:22
date last changed
2021-03-26 11:19:44
@phdthesis{cf28c7bf-ce43-479c-b691-0cba0b311b52,
  abstract     = {{Charles Dickens’s novels are filled with scenes of persuasion—moments of heightened rhetoric. Through<br/>these scenes, the novels present a moral rhetoric and a person that uses this rhetoric toward ethical<br/>ends: a vir bonus. In particular, my study has focused on two separate but related levels of persuasion;<br/>the first remains within the narrative and the second takes into account the level between the text and its<br/>readers. The analysis of A Christmas Carol contends that readers witness the persuasion of Scrooge, a<br/>miser who learns to accept the kairos of Christmastime to become a kind, charitable man. Oliver Tiwst,<br/>this study argues, represents a rhetoric of pity through which both those who are pitied and those who<br/>provide the pity can be saved. This chapter shows that appeals to pathos are particularly effective in this<br/>context. The analysis of Hard Times has found that pity and benevolence no longer function as<br/>straightforward solutions to the problems that the novel stages. Instead, it paints a grim picture of what<br/>happens when the fundamental logos of a society is misguided and when the most powerful rhetoricians<br/>are not ethical. Finally, the analysis of Little Dorrit continues to discuss the issue of dangerous<br/>rhetoricians and highlights in particular the concept of ethos as a valuable way of understanding selffashioning<br/>and fraud. In addition, the analysis of this novel discusses the concepts of debt and credit and<br/>their importance to communities.}},
  author       = {{Teubler, Lisa-Marie}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-88899-56-9}},
  keywords     = {{Charles Dickens; Fact; Debt; Pity; ethos; logos; pathos; rhetoric; persuasion; kairos; vir bonus}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  publisher    = {{Lund University}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  title        = {{Visualizing the Vir Bonus in Charles Dickens's Scenes of Persuasion : The Rhetoric of Pity, Sentiment, Fact, and Debt}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/68601702/Lisa_marie_teubler_med_spikblad.pdf}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}