Dialogues of persuasion: the Reformation dialogues printed on the Continent during the reign of Henry VIII

Kranzer, Lisa Viktoria (2010). Dialogues of persuasion: the Reformation dialogues printed on the Continent during the reign of Henry VIII. University of Birmingham. M.Phil.

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Abstract

This thesis examines how English Reformation-dialogues printed on the Continent during the reign of Henry VIII used the persuasive techniques of the dialogue-form to act as advocates for Reform. All English Reformation-dialogues printed on the continent during the reign of Henry VIII employ the same techniques the form offers them. As is shown in this thesis these are the establishment of a truth, the instruction of the reader in that truth, the monologic exposition of arguments disguised as a conversation, the tailoring of arguments to the expectations of the audience and the utilisation of a containment-strategy, allowing the author to neutralise any counter-claims to his arguments. This renders the English Reformation-dialogues from 1527 to 1547 formulaic, but allows for the establishment of clear interpretative framework for them. The five rhetorical devices the dialogue authors consistently employed in order to produce a polemic of Reform can be used as a guide to reading those texts. By analysing how and for what purpose the Reformers utilised these rhetorical devices of the dialogue-form this thesis sets up an interpretative framework for the Reformation-dialogues of Henry VIII's reign based on criteria inherent to the form and demonstrates its effectiveness as a tool of textual-persuasion.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.Phil.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.Phil.

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