The Talk of the Party

This book provides a much-needed dissection of critical markers of partisanship in campaign discourse and discussions of governance over the last fifty years. It is the perfect complement to recent and more long-standing efforts to map the linguistic terrain of politics by scholars such as George Lakoff and Murray Edelman. This volume will be of interest to students and scholars, politicians and pundits, offering new insights in the dynamics that have shaped the current language of politics. Jarvis paints a vivid portrait of how terms such as 'liberal' have come under attack, whereas critiques of 'conservative' have been forestalled. This is an important book for anyone interested in understanding political discourse in the twentieth century and beyond. -- Dhavan V. Shah, University of Wisconsin, Madison
For scholars interested in parties, campaigns, and political communications, this is an important book. Jarvis presents thoughtful ideas on the history and evolution of party labels and on how elites use these names in symbolic ways. This book is a readable and up-to-date account of how parties structure civic life in the United States. * Political Science Quarterly *
This book offers a rich store of detail about the way parties are portrayed by the managers of political discourse and how those portrayals have changed over time. Scholars of discourse, political or otherwise, will find an excellent example of a well-executed analysis of political text and the process of branding. * Perspectives on Politics *
Take six words, four sets of political elite voices, three types of political messages, two major political parties, and a group of independent voters, then apply a methodology that mixes them up with questions rising out of communication, political science, linguistic, and marketing theories, and you have a recipe that produces new explanations for the ebb and flow of American political parties' fortunes for the past 50 years. Sharon Jarvis's The Talk of the Party uses analysis of past political talk—and its influence on the public's perceptions of parties and their candidates—to project how technology and traditional communication channels will impact party messages, perceptions, and outcomes in the future. As with all good research, Jarvis leaves us with new questions as well as new insights. This book will find its way into a variety of political communication and political science courses and will be quoted by scholars who study political discourse. -- Diana Bartelli Carlin