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Article Dans Une Revue History of European Ideas Année : 2017

The genre of radical thought and the practices of equality: the trajectories of William Godwin and John Thelwall in the mid-1790s

Résumé

In this paper, I approach the political and philosophical similarities and differences between late eighteenth-century thinkers John Thelwall and William Godwin from the point of view of their respective choices for the genre of political communication. I approach their thought and its expression by weaving an interpretation of what they were saying with a reflection on how and to whom they were speaking. This, I contend, helps us clarify further the thought of each thinker and track the changes in their conception of equality in the framework of political communication. As the 1790s unfolded, both thinkers, I argue, tried to diversify their audience, be generally more inclusive, and re-think the hierarchies of relationship between authors/speakers and their audience in their political communication. Nevertheless, they did so asymmetrically and in different ways: Thelwall quickly started tapping into popular culture, especially oral culture, while Godwin chose the modes of fiction and the conversational essay. By making these choices, both authors enacted a different understanding and practice of political education, and political equality.
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hal-03193042 , version 1 (02-09-2021)

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John-Erik Hansson. The genre of radical thought and the practices of equality: the trajectories of William Godwin and John Thelwall in the mid-1790s. History of European Ideas, 2017, 43 (7), pp.776-790. ⟨10.1080/01916599.2017.1324803⟩. ⟨hal-03193042⟩
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