Oliver Wendell Holmes and the Culture of Conversation

Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 4
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Acknowledgments......Page 11
AN INTRODUCTION TO DOCTOR HOLMES......Page 15
HOLMESIAN TALK AND AMERICA\'S CULTURE OF CONVERSATION......Page 19
OUTLINE: THE POLES OF CONVERSATION......Page 21
LEARNING TO READ AMERICAN TALK: HOLMES IN DIALOGUE WITH THE AMERICAN RENAISSANCE......Page 23
PART ONE Opening the conversation......Page 27
THE \"CULTURE OF SHEER VERBOSITY\": ORATORY AND CONVERSATION......Page 29
THE \"ANIMATING SPIRIT OF THE AGE\": AMERICAN FORMS OF TALK......Page 36
TALK-BASED WRITING IN AMERICA\'S \"AGE OF CONVERSATION\"......Page 48
AMERICA\'S BOSWELL: DOCTOR OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES......Page 61
DOCTOR HOLMES\' BOSTON: THE TALK CONTEXT OF THE \"AMERICAN RENAISSANCE\"......Page 64
PART TWO Holmes in the conversation of his culture......Page 73
CHAPTER 2 \"TO CHANGE THE ORDER OF CONVERSATION\"......Page 75
THE MID-CENTURY DEBATE ABOUT DIALOGUE......Page 76
DISTINGUISHING ENGLISH AND AMERICAN TALK FORMS: HOLMES\' TRANSFORMATION OF EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY MODELS OF CONVERSATION......Page 78
THE AMERICAN STERNE......Page 82
CONVERSATION AND CULTURAL AUTHORITY......Page 85
AN \"ART OF THE CONTACT ZONE\": TALK IN THE AMERICAN BOARDINGHOUSE OR HOTEL......Page 89
AN ANTHOLOGY OF MID-CENTURY TALK STYLES......Page 92
MONOLOGICAL AUTOCRACY AND REVOLUTIONARY INTERRUPTION: HOLMES\' \"LIVELY DEMOCRACY OF A DINNER-TABLE\"......Page 95
\"TO CHANGE THE ORDER OF CONVERSATION\": TURNS OF TALK AND THE REFUSAL OF CLOSURE......Page 99
\"THIS CARNIVAL-SHOWER OF QUESTIONS AND REPLIES AND COMMENTS\"......Page 105
THE BIPOLAR DYNAMICS OF ELECTRIC TALK......Page 110
CONVERSING WITH ONESELF......Page 119
CHAPTER 4 \"COLLISIONS OF DISCOURSE\" II: ELECTRIC AND OCEANIC \"CURRENTS\" IN CONVERSATION......Page 124
THE MISSION OF CONVERSATION......Page 129
CONTRA-DICTION: AGREEING TO DISAGREE......Page 135
CHAPTER 5 A CONVERSATIONAL APPROACH TO TRUTH......Page 141
THE USES OF PREJUDICE IN A REALM OF DOUBT......Page 144
BANISHING THE \"FACTS\" OF LAW, SCIENCE, AND THEOLOGY......Page 147
\"TRUTH\'S ETERNAL FLOW\": TAKING THE PARALLAX OF THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS......Page 153
THE \"BRAHMIN\" AND THE \"HUB\": TWO CASE STUDIES IN THE READING OF HOLMES\' CONVERSATIONAL TRUTHS......Page 158
DEFENDING THE REALM OF THE INTELLECTUAL......Page 165
THE FORM OF CHANGE: THE SAGE IN AN \"AGE OF UNCERTAINTY\"......Page 175
HOLMES AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONS IN MEDICINE: THERAPEUTIC NIHILISM......Page 180
THE DOCTOR IN CONVERSATION WITH THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT......Page 183
HOLMES\' VERBAL AND CONVERSATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO MEDICAL CHANGE......Page 187
A CONVERSATIONAL APPROACH TO CARING AND CURING......Page 191
CHAPTER 7 THE SELF IN CONVERSATION......Page 198
BREAKING OUT OF THE ASYLUM......Page 199
IN DIALOGUE WITH THE \"SOMATIC STYLE\"......Page 202
THE COMMITTEE OF THE SELF......Page 204
HOLMES AND THE CRISIS OF THE SOMATIC STYLE......Page 209
LAYERS OF THOUGHT......Page 214
THE \"TALKING CURE\": OPENING AN INTERCOURSE WITH THE WORLD......Page 223
PART THREE The two poles of conversation......Page 227
CHAPTER 8 THE BIPOLAR DYNAMICS OF HOLMES\' HOUSEHOLD DIALOGUES......Page 229
LEVITY AND GRAVITY IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY THOUGHT: A STERNE TRADITION IN AMERICA......Page 231
LEVITY–GRAVITY \"COUPLINGS\" IN HOLMES\' TABLE-TALK......Page 236
CHAPTER 9 HOLMES\' HOUSE DIVIDED......Page 249
LEVITY–GRAVITY DIALOGUE IN YOUNG HOLMES\' DIVIDED HOUSEHOLD......Page 250
A VITAL LEVITY IN CREATIVE READING......Page 260
LEVITY-GRAVITY DIALOGUE IN THE PROCESS OF BREATHING: BODILY MODELS FOR CHANGE......Page 270
REVOLUTION IN RESPIRATION......Page 274
\"THE HEART REFUSES TO BE IMPRISONED\": HOLMES, EMERSON, AND HEGEL ON BILDUNG IN THE BLOODSTREAM......Page 278
\"BUILD THEE MORE STATELY MANSIONS\": HOUSE-KEEPING AND HOUSE-BREAKING IN DIALOGUE AT HOLMES´ TABLE......Page 283
CHAPTER 10 \"CUTTING OFF THE COMMUNICATION\": FIXATIONS AND FALLS FOR THE WALLED-IN SELF......Page 294
MELVILLE\'S \"CHIMNEY\" CONFRONTS HOLMES\' HOUSE-BREAKING CONVERSATION......Page 296
GRAVITY AND THE ELIMINATION OF CONVERSATION: ARCHITECTURAL INTROVERSION IN DICKENS......Page 301
CHAPTER II BREAKING THE HOUSE OF ROMANCE......Page 303
MEDICAL ROMANCE......Page 307
WORDS VERSUS WALLS......Page 312
A FINAL \"TALKING EXAM\"......Page 317
PART FOUR Closing the conversation......Page 325
CHAPTER 12 CONCLUSIONS......Page 327
CONVERSATION AND THE PROBLEM OF AUTHORITY......Page 329
CONVERSATION AND THE CARNIVALIZATION OF JUDGMENT......Page 332
DRAWING ROOM TO BATTLEFIELD: FROM THE \"FREE PLAY OF IDEAS\" TO \"FREE TRADE IN IDEAS\"......Page 336
THE SENSE OF AN  ENDING......Page 346
I THE CONVERSATION OF A CULTURE: STRANGE POWERS OF SPEECH......Page 355
2 \"TO CHANGE THE ORDER OF CONVERSATION\": INTERRUPTION AND VOCAL DIVERSITY IN HOLMES\' AMERICAN TALK......Page 363
3 \"COLLISIONS OF DISCOURSE\" I: THE ELECTRODYNAMICS OF CONVERSATION – A CARNIVAL OF VERBAL FIREWORKS......Page 367
4 \"COLLISIONS OF DISCOURES\" II: ELECTRIC AND OCEANIC \"CURRENTS\" IN CONVERSATION – THE CULTURAL WORK OF HOLMESIAN TALK......Page 369
5 A CONVERSATIONAL APPROACH TO TRUTH: THE DOCTOR IN DIALOGUE WITH CONTEMPORARY TRUTH - SAYERS......Page 371
6 CONVERSATION AND \"THERAPEUTIC NIHILISM\": THE DOCTOR IN DIALOGUE WITH CONTEMPORARY MEDICINE......Page 374
7 THE SELF IN CONVERSATION: THE DOCTOR IN DIALOGUE WITH CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY......Page 382
8 THE BIPOLAR DYNAMICS OF HOLMES\' HOUSEHOLD DIALOGUES: LEVITY AND GRAVITY......Page 386
9 HOLMES\' HOUSE DIVIDED: HOUSE-KEEPING AND HOUSE-BREAKING......Page 388
11 BREAKING THE HOUSE OF ROMANCE: HOLMES IN DIALOGUE WITH HAWTHORNE......Page 390
12 CONCLUSIONS: HOLMES SENIOR IN DIALOGUE WITH HOLMES JUNIOR......Page 391
Index......Page 397