To cite this article: Michael Feehan (1979) Kenneth Burke's discovery of dramatism,
Quarterly Journal of Speech, 65:4, 405-411, DOI: 10.1080/00335637909383491
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T H E QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF SPEECH,
65 (1979), 405-11.
ing of the major terms necessary for a and challenge about a book of this sort,
criticism of history as ritual. which, guilelessly presenting itself as a
"Twelve Propositions," beginning philosophy of history (or philosophies?),
from the perspective of acceptance and puts on the aspect of a handbook of
rejection, focuses attention on just two poetics in the table of contents, enacts a
of the key terms from ATH: identity mystical marriage of Freudianism and
and identification. These terms, linking Marxism in sundry digressions and foot-
Marx and Freud, led Burke to a new notes, constructs a curve of history re-
understanding of his own work. Where sembling an original plot for a five-act
ATH is a tool box containing the parts drama, and concludes with a 'dictionary
necessary for the analysis of history, of pivotal terms' in which linguistic-
"Twelve Propositions" puts those parts esthetic-psychological speculation is pre-
together into a machine for criticism. dominant."4 Clearly, Burke's wanderings
Burke reduced the two volumes of A TH through history and poetics did not fit
to an eight-page discussion directed to- Schlauch's understanding of methods
ward Schlauch's objections and a con- aimed at progress toward socialism.
sciously Marxian audience: "The fol- Guideless garbling of poetics, sociology,
lowing propositions briefly state the ap- history, and psychology did not con-
proach exemplified in my recent work, stitute an approach calculated to fit well
Attitudes Toward History. They are with the Marxist community of 1937.
offered as a reply to Margaret Schlauch's The Marxists faced the rise of Ger-
review of the work, in the last number man and Italian fascism, the beginnings
of Science ir Society. They are an at- of Stalinist terror in Spain and the
tempt to codify my ideas on the relation Soviet Union, dissension over obscuran-
between psychology and Marxism."2 tism and revisonism in the International,
The last sentence here is the most im- and a continuing hostility toward the
portant; in his effort "to codify" the Left everywhere in the United States.
The notion of scientific sociology
2
Kenneth Burke, "Twelve Propositions by
grounded in dialectical materialism
Kenneth Burke on the Relation Between Eco- seemed the only methodology around
nomics and Psychology," Science & Society, 2
(Spring 1938), 242. Subsequent references des- 3
ignated "TP." An abbreviated version of 4
Science & Society, 1 (Fall 1936), i.
"Twelve Propositions" appears in Burke's Phi- Margaret Schlauch's review of Kenneth
losophy of Literary Form, 3rd ed. (Berkeley: Burke's Attitudes Toward History, in Science ir
Univ. of California Press, 1973), pp. 305-13. Society, 2 (Winter 1937), 128-29.
407
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF SPEECH FEEHAN
which the Marxist community could (meanings, attitudes, character) by which one
unite. Schlauch saw Burke's approach in handles the significant factors of his time.
(ATH, p. 34)
ATH as a direct threat to this most
basic methodology.
In reducing ATH to eight pages, and
Scientific sociology must, in Schlauch's in facing Schlauch's objections, Burke
view, employ terms exclusively from the became adamant: "11. Human relations
realms of economics, politics, and his- should be analyzed with respect to the
tory. Burke argued that terms from leads discovered by a study of drama"
aesthetics and religion could broaden ("TP," p. 246). Not just any poetic
the range of insights available to category—drama. No longer "might be
sociologists. For instance, the term profitably tested," but "should be
"prayer" could be secularized to mean analyzed"! Burke embraced the challenge
the political process of petitioning the of his own attitudes toward symbols:
Downloaded by [University of Calgary] at 03:30 05 February 2015
stylistics of Attitudes toward History introduces the basic concern for symbols:
(parentheses within parentheses, con- "1. The basic concept for uniting eco-
tinuous digressions, and long, bewilder- nomics and psychology ('Marx and
ingly suggestive footnotes),"6 "Twelve Freud') is that of the 'symbols of author-
Propositions" presents simple, bald ity' " ("TP," p. 242). Proposition two
statements of basic concepts linked with presents the "two . . . dichotomous atti-
simple and short illustration/discussions. tudes" ("TP," p. 242) toward those
Though a surprising range of Burke's symbols: acceptance and rejection. Pro-
ideas are surveyed in the article, the position three then introduces the key
style is anything but fragmented. Burke Marxist term "alienation" as an equi-
had made up his mind and had only valent term for rejection. Finally, in the
to lead his reader to drama. discussion for proposition three, Burke
linked Marx,N Freud, and alienation:
ANALYSIS " 'Alienation' is thus also a concept
clearly having both economic and psy-
An analysis of "Twelve Propositions" chological relevance.... One may be ma-
can show not only what Burke wrote in terially or spiritually alienated, or both"
linking economics, psychology, and ("TP," p. 243). Where ATH begins
drama, but also the progression of ideas with attitudes of three American writers,
through which he sought to lead "Twelve Propositions" begins one step
readers to see that link. The clarity of back, framing attitudes in terms em-
style and vision which emerge in this ployed by the Marxist audience, sug-
short article resulted from the exigencies gesting that the discussion that follows is
of the situation of composition: Marxist grounded in a Marxist perspective.
thinkers rejected the perspective oiATH
Propositions four through six also
for specifically Marxist reasons, and
work as a set, introducing and linking
Burke's response was to move from these the ideas of identity and community,
charges back to the perspective of ATH. then illustrating the ways in which
In performing that movement, Burke identities change through historical
discovered for himself a new commit- changes in community. Proposition four
ment to drama as a literal model of hu- introduces and challenges the notion of
a "purely psychological concept . . . of
6
William H. Rueckert, Kenneth Burke and 'identity' " ("TP," p. 243). Proposition
the Drama of Human Relations (Minneapolis:
Univ. of Minnesota Press, 1963), p. 35. five takes up this challenge to the
409
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF SPEECH FEEHAN
matistic perspective on rhetoric: " 'Style' peal. Even a "star" is but a function of the
total cast. Politics above all is drama. ("TP,"
is an aspect of identification" ("TP," p. 246)
p. 245). Costume in dress, like ornamen-
tation in poetry, allows those without The way into this dramatistic approach
privilege to identify with those in power, to human values is communication:
to " 'own' privilege vicariously" ("TP," "The value, the normative basis of
p. 245). Identification, the term which reference, proper to this approach is
became the key to A Rhetoric of Mo- 'communication* " ("TP," p. 246). Two
tives, enters the discussion as a tool for poles of communication will be studied,
linking symbolic acts with sociological the "hortatory" and the "diagnostic."
analysis: "Consideration of such 'sym- The key notion again is the formal rela-
bolic boasting' offers an excellent in- tions between levels of value:
stance in support of our contention that
the analysis of esthetic phenomena can Modes of cooperation (production and distribu-
be extended or projected into the tion) give form to modes of communication. The
modes of communication thus refer back to the
analysis of social and political phe- modes of cooperation. ("TP," p. 247)
nomena in general" ("TP," p. 245). Al-
though identity is a "mystification," and The idea that communication "refer[s]
thus almost beyond the reach of back to" economics is the key to taking
sociological analysis, the process by drama seriously as a model of human
which one orients oneself toward the relations: "12. The difference between
community, "identification," can be the symbolic drama and the drama of
studied with ease and accuracy as the living is a difference between imaginary
function of "superstructures," taking obstacles and real obstacles. But: the
style as strategic responses to situations imaginary obstacles of symbolic drama
(the approach of The Philosophy of must, to have the relevance necessary for
Literary Form).
the producing of effects upon audiences,
The essential bases of Dramatism are reflect the real obstacles of living drama"
now available to the reader: Art is the ("TP," pp. 246-47). Drama is powerful
starting point: its formalizing of social insofar as it reaches into the lives of the
values presents the "superstructure" of audience. Critical studies of drama will
actual human relations. Economics and reach through the dramatist's "super-
psychology will be improved by employ- structure" of aesthetic values to the
ing works of art as frames through "substructure" of economic values. Dra-
411
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF SPEECH FEEHAN
was being exploited.' I was simply dis- mentalism to a new synthesis: "If an
cussing how such a fact takes shape when emphasis upon nouns (categories) was
filtered through a complex human followed by an antithetical emphasis
consciousness" ("TP," p. 248). Here is upon verbs (processes), why should not
the meaning of "reflect" in proposition 'dialectic' reasoning lead us to look for
twelve (obstacles in drama reflect ob- a synthesis of the two, something like
stacles in life), the connection between categories of process?" ("TP," p. 249).
consciousness and communication, be- The project for Attitudes Toward His-
tween communication and community: tory was to take that step in synthesis:
Drama is a shaping of experience, a
"I submit that, if such expectations are
shaping that takes place in the mind of
permissible, some such basic notion as
some agent. To understand any experi-
ence is to organize that experience, to 'attitudes,' filled out with such verbal
give form to consciousness. Drama ex- nouns as 'acceptance' and 'rejection,' will
hibits the characteristic human process be the kind of inquiry implicit in an
of making sense of life, so that drama attempt to consider 'process-categories.'
realistically represents the world of hu- Attitudes are 'strategies.' As such, they
man action. Burke did not deny that maintain something permanent through
human suffering occurs, but he did in- flux, while at the same time they must
sist that human understanding of human adapt themselves to the specific changes
suffering takes shape as symbolic action. of material provided by flux" ("TP," p.
In a significant final section of the 249). Dramatism dialectically advances
article, Burke met Schlauch's charge of Marxism and Freudianism, linking in-
hostility to change by embracing it but sights from economics and psychology to
denying its force. In doing that, Burke transcend both through a new under-
presented a fascinating discussion of the standing of roles and strategies, of
key term, "attitudes." Schlauch had per- process-categories.
ceived Burke as advocating a look back- Of course the development of Drama-
ward to a medieval philosophy of
tism had a long way to go in 1937, but
stability, embodied in nouns, while
Marxists "have presumably made them- the central moment had been met: The
selves at home in a world of verbs and metaphorical idea of a "drama of living"
change."7 Burke replied that a coherent- had been taken on as a literal model
and seriously defended as a methodology
7
Schlauch's review, p. 132. for the study of human relations.