Edmund Burke and the Discourse of Virtue

Edmund Burke (1729-1797) continues to command a major presence in the history and criticism of Western thought. A great deal of attention, accordingly, is paid to the philosophical and literary qualities of his writings. Such emphases, however, overlook what Browne argues to be Burke's most important legacy: his choice to engage principles through the media of public life. This achievement is illustrated by Burke's concern for virtue as a principle of civic action and responsibility. Browne seeks to restore Burke's reputation as an advocate and as an exemplar of public virtue by submitting key texts to detailed rhetorical analysis. By examining a variety of public genres, including party tracts, speeches and public letters, Browne aims to show that Burke consistently advances a discourse of virtue. This discourse, at once public and principled, is presented as a celebration of public life and the rhetoric by which that life is given expression. Browne presents a new, non-partisan way of interpreting Burke by providing close readings of his public discourse and political writings from a rhetorical perspective. This interpretation sets out to enrich our understanding of Burke in a variety of ways: first, by resisting the temptation to reduce his thought to merely theoretical propositions; and second, by expanding the analysis of his prose beyond mere statistics. Such an approach suggests, moreover, that rhetorical criticism is distinctly suited to the interpretation of political discourse.