SOURCE: Downey, Charlotte. Introduction to The Elements of Rhetoric, by James De Mille. 1878. Reprint, pp. 9-19. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, 2000.

In the following excerpt from her introduction to a 2000 edition of De Mille's Elements of Rhetoric, Downey presents a broad overview of the text, discussing De Mille's comments on style, organization of subject matter, use of emotionally charged language, and genres in literature.

The Elements of Rhetoric by James De Mille (1837-1880) was published in New York by Harper & Brothers in 1878. In the preface De Mille informs his readers that “its contents embrace the subjects of style, method, the language of emotions, and the general departments of literature” (vi).

Style

In presenting style early in his book, De Mille resembles Bain, Blair, Boyd, Day, Genung, and Kellogg. He begins by stating style “may be defined as the peculiar manner in which thought is expressed in language...