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Clarice Säävälä
This article examines the reasons for Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s failureto become unanimously successful as a parliamentary orator in thenineteenth century. Bulwer-Lytton’s speeches were often praisedfor their content, but his delivery and comportment resulted in alackluster reception from fellow speakers and difficulty in hisspeeches being accurately transcribed. This article argues thatBulwer-Lytton’s vocal and physical habitus, previously deemedeccentric but tolerable, were not able to stand up to newadvancements in newspaper reporting and the changing classcomposition of the House of Commons. The new standardsregarding nineteenth-century speech praised perspicuity andcomposure, a mark of masculine conduct, two things that Bulwer-Lytton was unwilling, or unable, to adopt. Using parliamentaryreports and records from his peers, this article situates Bulwer-Lytton’s inability to perform appropriately within the contexts ofmasculine self-composure, classical rhetoric training, andshorthand reporting. Consequently, new insight as to hisstruggles in the House of Commons are presented, adding to thefield of parliamentary history
