Essays on eighteenth century dialogue

This dissertation moves among the genres of catechism, drama, poetry, prose essay, the novel, and biography in eighteenth-century English literature. Six chapters, not including introduction, analyze ways that genres interact and affect one another. Discussion covers much of the century, from plays and tracts published during the first decade to Boswell\u27s Life of Johnson published in 1791. The common link between works discussed is literary dialogue--the physical representation of speech on the printed page. The study of dialogue provides insights into the relationships between authors, the writings which influenced authors, their printers and publishers, and their reading audience. At the beginning of the century, authors placed little value on dialogue as a literary device, most often using it without conscious artistry and with little differentiation from descriptive narrative. At the end of the century many authors recognized dialogue as an important literary technique to be used with attention and skill. Increasing awareness of dialogue as a device with which to develop characterization and to add verisimilitude grows, in part, from technical and social influences. Important to this study are both the relationship between publishing and authorship and English society\u27s profound interest in conversation as an art form. The influence of literary conventions is also important. Standards of usage for dialogue are inextricably tied to literary conventions. Much of this dissertation focuses on this relationship, demonstrating that changes in authors\u27 perceptions of literary conventions influenced their use of dialogue. Authors discussed include: Defoe, Rowe, Addison, Lillo, Pope, Swift, Fielding, Richardson, Sterne, Burney, and Boswell. Although there is significant movement during the century toward the use of realistic dialogue, the shift is gradual. Well into the last quarter of the century indirect dialogue is found set apart with quotation marks in the same manner as direct dialogue. Attitudes toward the use of literary dialogue differed from one genre to another and changed slowly; nevertheless, the changes signal profound shifts in authors\u27 perceptions of literature