The struggle for performative power in America's first century.
Item
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Title
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The struggle for performative power in America's first century.
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Identifier
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AAI3063890
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identifier
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3063890
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Creator
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Torres, Steven.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Marc Dolan
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Date
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2002
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Literature, American
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Abstract
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In his lecture series, How to do Things with Words , J. L. Austin outlines the properties of a linguistic phenomenon he called "the speech-act." Like any other form of power, speech-act power, the power to perform actions through the use of words, has been the object of contention and controversy. Included in this power is the ability to enter into contracts, the power to name, and the right to give orders. When America's Founding Fathers threw off the constraints of the British monarchy, they also opened discussion on the issue of exactly who should be allowed to wield speech-act power. The white, landed males fought to maintain privileges in this area, and throughout America's first century slaves, white women, and Native Americans struggled to acquire an equal footing. This struggle for speech-act authority is depicted repeatedly in the slave narratives, domestic novels, treaties, and editorials of that period. Though there are arguments as to the workability of Austin's theory, with minor modifications it serves well to explain the obstacles these groups faced and the strategies they employed to overcome them. This dissertation elucidates the struggles of these three groups to gain speech-act power in America's first century as it was portrayed in the writings of the times.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
