Commonplaces:

Shorthand visual, linguistic

cues for communities

Commonplaces:

Shorthand visual, linguistic

cues for communities

ENG 582: Gender and Popular Culture

ENG 582: Gender and Popular Culture

Commonplaces provide

window to rhetorical situation

Commonplaces provide

window to rhetorical situation History

Must understand what has happened before in the given discourse community

Audience Simple (similar, shared interests and goals -- discourse

community) Multiple (people with different backgrounds and goals)

Ethos Must be built through

Knowledge of the subject Have audience’s needs in mind

Counterargument Easier when you understand the discourse community you are

addressing

History Must understand what has happened before in the given

discourse community

Audience Simple (similar, shared interests and goals -- discourse

community) Multiple (people with different backgrounds and goals)

Ethos Must be built through

Knowledge of the subject Have audience’s needs in mind

Counterargument Easier when you understand the discourse community you are

addressing

EvolutionsEvolutionsBegan with Aristotle’s topoi Milcah Martha Moore’s book is like traditional male versions - storehouse modelIn 17th century focus shifted with humanists to emphasis on morality, social mores (no images)18th and 19th century shift was for “genteel” class, mainly women (few words of one’s own)Modern Examples: commonplace books, scrapbooks, blogsAll inform about the kinds of discourse communities people join or wish to join (for our class, the community of “girl” and “women”)

Began with Aristotle’s topoi Milcah Martha Moore’s book is like traditional male versions - storehouse modelIn 17th century focus shifted with humanists to emphasis on morality, social mores (no images)18th and 19th century shift was for “genteel” class, mainly women (few words of one’s own)Modern Examples: commonplace books, scrapbooks, blogsAll inform about the kinds of discourse communities people join or wish to join (for our class, the community of “girl” and “women”)

Communities and CommonplacesCommunities and Commonplaces Modern commonplaces help us

analyze, gain access to Discourse Communities

Can be phrases (In God We Trust), concepts (freedom), icons (Statue of Liberty), images

Modern commonplaces help us analyze, gain access to Discourse Communities

Can be phrases (In God We Trust), concepts (freedom), icons (Statue of Liberty), images

Provides entry into

Discourse Communities

Provides entry into

Discourse Communities

Gender roles - women as caregivers (pet owners, moms)

Gender roles - women as caregivers (pet owners, moms)

Models for

motherhood

Models for

motherhoodThis historic commonplace book offers images of infants and children

Was way for women to record societal views of womanhood

Perpetuates “womanly” roles

Instructs “rules” and “societal norms” for communities

Can be questioned, reshaped

This historic commonplace book offers images of infants and children

Was way for women to record societal views of womanhood

Perpetuates “womanly” roles

Instructs “rules” and “societal norms” for communities

Can be questioned, reshaped

Site for resisting

societal norms

Site for resisting

societal normsChallenges social rulesExhibits “unladylike” characteristics of anger, dissatisfactionPerfectly combines images from popular culture with author’s wordsModern commonplace book not only describes commonplace, but also comments on it

Challenges social rulesExhibits “unladylike” characteristics of anger, dissatisfactionPerfectly combines images from popular culture with author’s wordsModern commonplace book not only describes commonplace, but also comments on it

Agents of changeAgents of change

For 18th- and 19th-century women were sites of identity constructionPotential is seen in Helton’s work hereBuilds image of self as mother - futureIncludes current image of self as wifeAll tied to past (self as grad, daughter, poet)

For 18th- and 19th-century women were sites of identity constructionPotential is seen in Helton’s work hereBuilds image of self as mother - futureIncludes current image of self as wifeAll tied to past (self as grad, daughter, poet)

Other sample commonplacesOther sample commonplaces