Delsarte System of Oratory

A systematic manual presents a comprehensive codification of expressive technique for public speaking and performance, beginning with a biographical sketch and preface and then treating voice—its anatomy, vowel formation, intensity, tempo, respiration, and inflection—followed by an extended theory of gesture covering general principles, the laws of gesture, detailed movement of head, eyes, torso, limbs, and a semeiotic analysis, and concluding with articulate language, prosody, the oratorical value of words and phrases, and practical exercises and gesture series for common sentiments; appendices collect lectures, lessons, and contemporary articles illustrating application and pedagogy.