Hugh Blair

Hugh Blair (April 7, 1718 – December 27, 1800), was a Scottish author, considered one of the first great theorists of written discourse.

As a Presbyterian preacher and occupant of the Chair of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres at the University of Edinburgh, Blair’s teachings had a great impact in both the spiritual and the secular realms. Best known for "Sermons", a five volume endorsement of practical Christian morality, and "Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres", a prescriptive guide on composition, Blair was a valuable part of the Scottish Enlightenment.

Life

Blair was born in Edinburgh into an educated Presbyterian family. From an early age it was clear that Blair, a weakly child, should be educated for a life in the church. Blair studied moral philosophy and literature at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated M.A. at the age of twenty-one. His thesis, “De Fundamentis et Obligatione Legis Naturae”, serves as a precursor to the later published "Sermons" in its discussion of the principles of morality and virtue.

In 1741, two years after the publication of his thesis, Blair received his license as a Presbyterian preacher. Shortly thereafter, the Earl of Leven heard of Blair’s popularity and presented him to the Parish Church of Collessie in Fife. By 1743 Blair was elected as the second charge of the Church of Canongate, where he spent the next eleven years. Blair was appointed to the charge of Lady Yester’s Church in 1754, and four years later was promoted to the High Church of St. Giles; the highest position that a clergyman could achieve in Scotland. Blair maintained this position for many years, during which time he published a five volume series of his addresses entitled "Sermons".

Having attained ultimate success in the church, Blair turned to matters of education. In 1757 he was presented with an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity by the Church of St. Andrews and began to teach a course in the principles of literary composition for the University of Edinburgh in 1759. At first Blair taught without remuneration, but the popularity of his course led to the institution of a class in Rhetoric at the university and a paid professorship for Blair. Blair was eventually appointed the first Regius Chair of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres by George III; a position he maintained until his retirement in 1783. Upon retirement, Blair published several of his lectures in "Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres".

Blair’s life was very full in both the public and the private spheres. As a central figure in the Scottish Enlightenment, he surrounded himself with other scholars in the movement. Hume, Carlyle, Adam Smith, Ferguson, and Lord Kames were among those Blair considered friends. As well, Blair had a very loving marriage to his cousin, Katherine Bannatine. Together they had two children: a son who died at birth and a daughter who died at the age of 20. Blair also outlived his wife, who died several years before his own death in December 1800.

Chronology of works

* 1739: "Defundamentis et Obligatione Legis Naturæ"
* 1753: "The Works of Shakespeare"(ed. Hugh Blair [Anon.] )
* 1755: Review of Francis Hutcheson’s "A System of Moral Philosophy" [Anon.]
* 1755: "Observations on a Pamphlet" [by John Bonar] , "intitled An Analysis of the Moral and Religious Sentiments contained in the Writings of Sopho and David Hume Esq" [Anon.]
* 1760: ‘Preface’ [Anon.] to James Macpherson, "Fragments of Ancient Poetry collected in the Highlands of Scotland and translated from the Galic or Erse Language"
* 1763: "A Critical Dissertation on the Poems of Ossian, the Son of Fingal
* 1777-1801: "Sermons" (5 vols)
* 1783: "Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres"

Major works

Blair is best known for the publication of three major works: "A Critical Dissertation on the Poems of Ossian, Son of Fingal"; "Sermons"; and "Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres". While little attention is given to his other works, it must be noted that Blair published several other works anonymously, the most important of which is an eight-volume edition of Shakespeare’s works edited by Blair.

"A Critical Dissertation on the Poems of Ossian, the Son of Fingal"

In 1763 Blair published "A Critical Dissertation on the Poems of Ossian", his first well known openly authored publication. Blair, having long taken interest in the Celtic poetry of the Scottish Highlands, wrote a laudatory account of the poems of Ossian, the authenticity of which he maintained. Blair serves as the voice of authority on the legitimacy of the poems that he himself had urged friend James Macpherson to publish in "Fragment of Ancient Poetry".

The dissertation directly opposes assertions that the poems Macpherson claimed to be ancient and sublime were in fact written by several modern poets, or possibly even by Macpherson himself. After 1765 Dissertation appeared in every publication of the Ossian in order to give the work credibility. Blair’s praise ultimately proved futile as the poems were deemed false and Macpherson was convicted of literary forgery. While this work does not speak highly of Blair’s skills as a literary critic, it does provide insight into Blair’s own taste, a subject that is important to his later writing.

"Sermons"

Blair published the first of his five volume series "Sermons" in 1777. It is a compilation of the sermons promoting practical Christian morality he delivered as a Presbyterian preacher. Despite the declining popularity of published religious teachings at the time, the success of "Sermons" paralleled Blair’s success as a preacher. Though Blair’s oral delivery was poor, often described as a ‘burr,’ he was considered the most popular preacher in Scotland. His success is credited to the ease with which the audience could follow his polite, organized style; a style that was translated easily into print.

"Sermons" reflects Blair’s position as a member of the moderate or latitudinarian party. In many respects, Blair was socially conservative. He did not believe in radical change, as his teachings were safe and ultimately prepared for the upper classes. Blair also had liberal tendencies demonstrated in his rejection of Calvinistic doctrines such as original sin, total corruption, and damnation.

"Sermons" focuses on questions of morality, rather than theology, and it emphasizes patriotism, action in the public sphere, and moral virtue promoted by polite secular culture. Blair encourages people to improve their natural talents through hard work, but also to be content with their appointed stations in society. He urges people to play an active role in society, to enjoy the pleasures of life, to do good works, and to maintain faith in God.

Blair’s appeal to both emotion and reason, combined with his non-confrontational, moderate style made each volume of "Sermons" increasingly popular. Four editions were published in Blair’s lifetime and a fifth shortly after his death. Each volume was met with the greatest success, as they were published in many European languages and went through several printings. Though Blair’s "Sermons" eventually fell out a favour for lacking doctrinal definiteness, they were undoubtedly influential during Blair’s lifetime and for several decades after his death.

"Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres"

After retiring from his position as Chair of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres at the University of Edinburgh in 1783, Blair published his lectures for the first time, deeming it necessary because unauthorized copies of his work threatened the legacy of his teachings. The result is arguably Blair’s most important work: "Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres". "Lectures", a compilation of 47 of Blair’s lectures given to students at the University of Edinburgh, serves as a practical guide for youth on composition and language; a guide that makes Blair the first great theorist of written discourse.

"Lectures" is important not because it presents radical new theories. In fact, Blair himself admits that the work is a suffusion of his understanding of classical and modern theories of language. Lectures draws on the classic works of theorists such as Quintilian and Cicero combined with the modern works of Addison, Burke, and Lord Kames to become one of the first whole language guides. As one of the first works to focus on written discourse, rather than solely on oral discourse, Blair’s "Lectures" is a comprehensive, accessible prescriptive composition guide that combines centuries of theory in a cohesive form.

The intention of "Lectures" is to provide youth with a simple, organized guide on the value of rhetoric and belles lettres in the quest for upward mobility and social success. Blair believed that social cultivation, and most importantly the proper use of polite literature and effective writing, was the key to social success. For him, an education in literature was socially useful, both in its ability to elevate one’s social status and its ability to promote virtue and morality. Blair also acknowledged that a person must have virtue and personal character, as well as knowledge of literature in order to be an effective speaker or writer.

While Blair’s outline of the requirements for an excellent speaker or writer is an important aspect of "Lectures", the work covers a very broad scope of issues relating to composition. Blair’s primary considerations are the issues of taste, language, style, and eloquence or public speaking. As well, Blair provides a critical examination of what he calls “the most distinguished species of composition, both in prose and verse” (15).

As an adherer to Scottish common sense realism, Blair’s theories are founded in the belief that the principles of rhetoric evolve from the principles of nature. Blair’s definition of taste reflects this sentiment: “The power of receiving pleasure from the beauties of nature and art: (15). His analysis of the nature of taste is one of his most important contributions to compositional theories because taste, according to Blair, is foundational to rhetoric and necessary for successful written and spoken discourse.

While Blair’s work is generally a safe composite of multiple theories, it contains many valuable insights, such as the aforementioned analysis of taste. Blair’s discussion of the history of written discourse is another important contribution to composition theory because this history was previously neglected. As well, Blair’s naming and defining of four generic categories of writing: historical writing, philosophical writing, fictitious history, and poetry, and his analysis of the different parts of discourse plays an important role in the development of later compositional theories. One of Blair’s more radical ideas is the rejection of Aristotelian figures of speech such as tropes. Blair argues that invention is the result of knowledge and cannot be aided by devices of invention as outlined by classic theorists. Though Blair rejects this traditional method of discourse, his work is still prescriptive in nature.

Blair’s "Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres" combines the fundamental principles of belletristic rhetoric and literary theory in a concise, accessible form. Drawing on classic and modern theories, Blair’s work is the most comprehensive prescriptive guide on composition in the 18th century. It enjoyed tremendous success for nearly a century, as 130 editions were published in numerous European languages.

Influence

Blair wrote in a time when print culture was flourishing and traditional rhetoric was falling out of favour. By focusing on issues of cultivation and upward mobility, Blair overshadowed the prevailing opinions of rhetoric and capitalized on the 18th century belief in the potential to rise above one’s station. At this time, new money industrialists and merchants caused the middle class to rise and the English empire to grow. Blair’s optimistic view that upward mobility could be affected by an understanding of eloquence and refined literature fit perfectly with the mentality of the time. In particular, the ideas presented in "Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres" were adapted in many prestigious universities and served as the guide on composition for many years. Lectures were predominantly popular in the United States, with universities such as Yale and Harvard implementing Blair’s theories.

While Blair enjoyed great success in the better part of the 19th century, this success was not maintained throughout the following century. After the authenticity of the Ossian poems was disproved, "A Critical Dissertation on the Poems of Ossian" caused a decline in Blair’s credibility. "Sermons" was criticized for its sentimentality and lack of doctrinal definiteness and it failed to adapt to changing tastes. "Lectures" too did not maintain its popularity as theorists such as Whatley and Spencer, drawing on Blair’s theories, dominated the domain of composition theory. Though the status of Blair’s theories declined in the 19th century, his role as the first great theorist of written discourse cannot be denied. Blair’s influence on decades of academics and theorists has ultimately affected the compositional theory of today.

References

*A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature
* Corbett, Edward P. J. “Hugh Blair as an Analyzer of English Prose Style.” "College Composition and Communication" 9(2): 93-103. 1958.
* Downey, Charlotte. “Introduction.” "Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres."Delmar, N.Y.: Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, 1993. ISBN 0-8093-1907-1
* Hill, John. "An Account of Life and Writings of Hugh Blair, D.D."Bristol: Thoemmes Press, 1997.
* Ulman, H. Lewis. "Things, Thoughts, Words, and Actions: The Problem of Language in Late Eighteenth-Century British Rhetorical Theory." Illinois: Southern Illinois Press, 1994. ISSN 0161-7729

External links

* [http://www.jamesboswell.info/People/biography-44.php Hugh Blair] at James Boswell - a Guide
* [http://www.msu.edu/user/ransford/ Hugh Blair] at MSU - a Website on Hugh Blair's life and philosophy
* [http://www.thoemmes.com/encyclopedia/blair.htm Hugh Blair] at Thoemmes Continuum - an Encyclopedia article
* [http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/blair_hugh.htm Great Scots] at Electric Scotland - an Article on Hugh Blair's legacy as a Scottish theorist