The Rhetoric of Lincoln’s Letters

Lincoln’s letters have been cited in countless biographical and critical works yet have received little scholarly attention as a whole. This comprehensive study reveals his letters to be fundamental to understanding his development as a writer. Early on, he employed Hugh Blair’s popular idea of developing “taste” in written documents, and carefully studied the letters of his contemporaries. He wrote more than 5000 of his own. As he became more proficient, he employed more sophisticated rhetorical strategies to deal with political opponents, imperious generals and critics of his policies.

Marshall Myers has over 300 publications of scholarly works, poetry, short stories and articles. He lives in Richmond, Kentucky.

Marshall Myers

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 220
Bibliographic Info: 19 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6320-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3115-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
Introduction 5
1. The Need to Study Lincoln’s Letters 9
2. The Letter as Genre 20
3. Influences on Lincoln’s Writing Style 51
4. Early Letters 69
5. Letters to His Generals 86
6. The Logician 110
7. The Problem of Clemency 125
8. The Love Letters 144
9. Letters to His Cabinet 180
Conclusions 201
Bibliography 203
Index 209