Dynes - Rhetorical Analysis

Justine Dynes

Professor Logan

AML 4101, Rhetorical Analysis

October 6, 2008

The Boarding School Analysis

The full title of Hannah Webster Foster’s The Boarding School; or, Lessons of a Preceptress to her Pupils gives the reader an exact idea about what her novel pertains: the teaching of female students in a boarding school. More specifically, it is to give them mannerism fit for a girl in this time period, as the title page points out. There are several ways in which this novel tries to teach these young women, though only the individual can tell if it truly works or not. However, one of the strong points this novel radiates is the thought of the implied author. By using this implied author strength, The Boarding School can focus on the education and teaching of young, female Americans. We can see this working in two places: the title page and the dedication.

As most title pages were during this time period, Foster uses hers almost as a flyer for what her book involves. It contains information that most books in this day and age do not include on the front matter. The “flyer” aspect of it draws people in if they are interested in this subject, almost as if parents were to read this and think boarding school would be a good idea for their daughter during the time period. Not only that, but the author is simply “A Lady of Massachusetts” (Foster); this could mean either the implied or the actual author. Which one the reader decides to go with is up to them.

The language contained within the dedication begins with a direct acknowledgement of who this novel is geared toward. Not only that, but it includes that it is “affectionately inscribed” to these “Young Ladies of America” (Foster). It goes on as if it is a letter to the future student of this boarding school, informing them as to what they should expect. Furthermore, it is as if Foster is treating the implied author as the true author of this text, removing herself from the “author” position altogether. This brings the reader into the mindset that this novel will be written by a “professional,” a.k.a. a teacher of a boarding school. This technique of writing will bring the reader to where the text wants them: believing that this novel is to teach them to be better women (if they are female), or how women were taught to be (if they are male).

Though both of these sections offer much more than just how to teach young girls to be proper women, that is their main focus. The dedication comes directly out to say that the focus is on the education, while the introduction [give whatever]. The implied author is much stronger than the actual author, given that Foster can portray the voice of a boarding school teacher with what seems like practiced ease. This gives the reader a feeling that this was in fact written by a woman teaching these young girls instead of an author that, most likely, only attended one of these schools.

Works Cited

Foster, Hannah Webster. The Boarding School; or, Lessons of a Preceptress to her Pupils. . Path: Articles and Databases; Evans Digital.