The rhetoric of food reform in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain

Hinde, Amber Rebecca (2024) The rhetoric of food reform in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

In this thesis, I explore the rhetoric of food reform in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain, considering the construction of the writer-reader relationship in historical texts on diet. Taking a case study approach, I analyse texts written by two prominent food reformers and entrepreneurs from this time period—Thomas Richard Allinson (1858-1918) and Eustace Hamilton Miles (1868-1948). Adopting a multi-theoretical analysis framework to examine historical texts, the approach in this study is informed by CDA (Critical Discourse Analysis) in its analysis of texts rooted in historical context. This study found that Allinson and Miles drew on a range of writer- and reader-oriented rhetorical strategies to legitimise their claims surrounding health and diet. These rhetorical strategies contribute to four interrelated themes, which exist at the intersection of the historical context and the texts; these themes are: moralised discourses, authority construction, counterculture, and self-help. The fast-changing environment beginning in the late nineteenth century and extending into the early twentieth century fuelled a multitude of moralised discourses, such as the rhetoric of purity (O’Hagan, 2020) and the idealisation of the simple life (Zweiniger-Bargielowska, 2010); this presented a commercial opportunity for food reformers such as Allinson and Miles, who both sold their own branded health foods. Both individuals also drew on a variety of rhetorical strategies to claim authority, including role model and expert authority (van Leeuwen, 2007; 2017). Allinson and Miles rhetorically constructed their identities by negotiating nuanced relationships with the establishment and other mainstream groups, such as orthodox doctors and the Vegetarian Society. Bound up with these carefully negotiated relationships, Allinson and Miles contributed to self-help discourses, encouraging individuals to exercise agency in terms of their health. This research makes an original contribution by producing a linguistically informed history of food reform, emphasising the value of conducting individual case studies during a time period when identity was becoming an increasingly powerful rhetorical tool. Importantly, this thesis provides historical context on issues which remain prominent today, such as alternative medicine, the relationship between food and health, and the construction of expertise in diet discourses.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Supported by funding from Carnegie Trust of the Universities of Scotland (PHD008544)
• Subjects: P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics; P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN0441 Literary History
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies
• Supervisor's Name: Alexander, Professor Marc, Bartlett, Professor Tom and Balfour, Dr. James
• Date of Award: 2024
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2024-84461
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 12 Jul 2024 15:30
• Last Modified: 12 Jul 2024 15:39
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.84461
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/84461