The Rev. Gilbert Austin's "Chironomia". Alban Fordesh Varnado Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1955 The Rev. Gilbert Austin's "Chironomia". Alban Fordesh Varnado Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Part of the Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons Recommended Citation Varnado, Alban Fordesh, "The Rev. Gilbert Austin's "Chironomia"." (1955). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 8149. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/8149 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE REV. GILBERT AUSTIN'S GHIRONOMIA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Speech * Alban Fcrdesh Veraado A.B., Louisiana State University, 19^11 M,A,# Louisiana State University, IShl August, 19$h UMI Number: DP69527 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI Dissertation Publishing UMI DP69527 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code uest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 - 1346 MANUSCRIPT THESES Unpublished theses submitted for the master^ and doctorfs degrees and deposited in the Louisiana State University Library are available for inspection. Use of any thesis is limited by the rights of the author. Bibliographical references may be noted, but passages may not be copied unless the author has given permission. Credit must be given in subsequent written or published work. A library which borrows this thesis for use by its clientele is expected to make sure that the borrower is aware of the above restrictions. LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 119-a A GiCNO\VL^l3SEMEINT3 The author wishes to express initially his gratitude to Dr* Giles W. Gray, director of this study, especially for the invaluable suggestions during its progress, and finally for the use of his personal library of rare books* The author also wishes to express his appreciation for help and encouragement to the members of his final committeeu Dr. Claud© M. Wise, Dr. Claude L. Shaver, Dr* Waldo Braden, Dr. Clinton Bradford, Dr. John £* Uhler, and Dr. T*. J. Olive. Appreciation is also due for assistance given the author to Jtiss Ruth Whiling and Miss Anne Beale Go Is an of the Reference Section, Hill Memorial library, Louisiana State University! to Mr, George Guidry, Jr., of the Microfilm Department, Hill Memorial Library! to Dr. H. W. Parke, of the Trinity College Library, Dublin, Ireland; and to Mies Geraldine Fitzgerald, Librarian of the Representative Body of the Church of Ireland# The author Is deeply indebted to Mr. Cj Stevens for his assistance in the preparation of this manuscript; and, finally, the parents of the author should know that this study would not have been possible without their patience, understanding, and love# 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PACE ACiOKWM»3®NTS 11 ABSTRACT vl INTRODUCTION 1 I EIOGHAFHX OF QILBERT AUSTIN 3 II PREBSCESSORS OF AUSTIN IK RHETORIC 9 III AUSTIN'S THEORIES ON ELOCUTION 19 IV AUSTIN* ON THE VOICE 23 V AUSTIN* ON THE COUNTENANCE 36 VI AUSTIN* CHI THE MODES ADOPTED IN PUBLIC SPEAKING LO VII AUSTIN* ON GESTURE 1*6 VIII SUMMARY OF CHIRONOMIA 111 IX A SELECTION OF SUCCESSORS TOAUSTIN 117 X CONCLUSIONS ABOUT CHIROHOMIA AND ITS INFLUENCE 181* SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 189 APPENDIX 195 AUTOBIOGRAPHY 202 ill TAB IE OF XLLUSTFATI OHS PLATE PAGE I Positions of the Feet from Chironomia 51 II The Man in the Sober© from Chironofflia 53 i n Systematic Positions of the Arms from Chironomia 57 17 Positions of the Arras from Chironomia 59 V Positions of the Hands from Chironomia 62 71 Positions of the Hands from Chironomia 65 VII Disposition of the Fingers from Chironomia 67 VIII Positions of the Hands from Chironomia 70 IX Positions of the Body from Chironomia 72 X Synoptical Arrangement of the Symbolic Letter® 79 from Chironomia XI Synoptical Arrangement of the Symbolic Letter® 80 from Chironomia XII Synoptical Arrangement of the Symbolic Letters 81 from Chironomia XIII Synoptical Arrangement of the Symbolic Letters 82 from Chironomia XIV Synoptical Arrangement of the Symbolic Letters 83 from Chironomia XV "The Miser and Plutus" from Chironomia 81; XVI Complex Significant Gestures from Chironomia 102 XVII Complex Significant Gestures from Chironomia 105 XVIII General Scheme of Notation from Bell1 s Principles 133 of Elocution XIX General Scheme of Notation from BelHs Principles 13U of Elocution It XX General Schenk or Notation from Bell’s Prlnoiplea of Elocution XXI Table of Gesture from Vandenhoff*a The Art of Elocution XXII Table of Action and Gesture from Frobisher's Voice and Action X X I U Table of Action and Gesture from Frobisher’s Voice and Action XXIV Notation of Gesture from Frobisher's Voice and Action XXV Table of Gesture from Potter’s Manual of Beading XXVI The Man in the Sphere from Bacon*® Manual of Gesture XXVII Table of Zones from Fulton and Trueblood1 s Practical Elocution XXV111 The Man in the Sphere from Fulton and Trueblood1 ® Practical Elocution ABSTRACT In 1806 was published Chironomia a or a Treatise on Rhetorical Delivery by the Rev. Gilbert Austin of Dublin# As a work on rhetorical delivery* this book encompasses a discussion of the voice* -toe countenance, and gesture* A novel feature of this book is the system by which the various positions of the parts of the body can be symbolically represented* ITany books written in the field of elocution during the nine teenth century make reference to this book, and some were based directly upon it* In the light of its influence on these later books* ghlronoBiia is considered a work of sufficient importance to warrant a more careful study of it than has previously been made* The purpose of this study i3 to determine to what extent later writers on elocution had borrowed material from Chironomia* To do this it has been necessary to ascertain two things i (1) what sections in that book had been borrowed from other sources and what had been evolved independently by Austin* and (2) to what extent these theories were used by later writers# The sources for the material in Chironomia derive both from classical and contemporary writers. From them Austin extracted material as needed* H© wrote his treatise as a discussion of the fifth canon of rhetoric, pro— nuntiatio* This canon he understood to include voice and action* To Austin, oratory was composed of the voice* the countenance, and gesture* He discussed all of these in his book but concentrated on a complete development of gesture* In this, he advanced hie theory ©f a notation system for the positions of the parts of the body by which movements and postures might be represented by symbols* This notation system was the most original idea advanced by Austin, It was his signal contribution to the study of elocution and the principal idea which was influential on later works dealing with elocution* The influence of this book covers a period exceeding a hundred years, and during this period any book which presented a notation system of gesture exhibited the influence of Chironomia* vii XSTSGDOCfXGW la studying the history of elocution in England, and particularly la incri«t» during tho nineteenth oenfcury and even into the early part of tho twentieth, on# finds many references to Chironqmiatt or a Treatise on Rhetorical D>llnyyt^ written by the Howe rand Gilbert Austin of Dublin* and published in London in 1306, Many books on elocution written during the nineteenth century aade references to this book, and some were based directly upon itj it Is considered, therefore, a work of sufficient lm-* pertanoe to warrant a more careful study than has previously been made of it, and it will be the purpose of this study to determine its exact influence upon later books on elocution, This study proposes to be de voted specifloally to Chlroaomia and Its attendant influence upon American speech education from the time of its publication in 1306 until its influence is no longer apparent on elocutionary thought, theory or practise, la the past there have been other studies which mentioned Chironomia at length, but usually in connection with some other works of the seme period# so far as is known tills is the first study to be aade which alas to be devoted exclusively to Chironomia, The questions which this study proposes to answer are* (1) What elocutionary theories preceded Chironomia? (2) Who was the Reverend Gilbert Austin? (A) What souroes did Austin use in preparing Chironomia? (4) Why did he write Chironomia? (6) What were his theories on elocution? ^Gilbert Austin, Chironomiat or a Treatise on Rhetorical Polivoryg Comprehending many precepts, both ancient and modern, for the proper regulation