Polemic
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A polemic is a forceful argument or controversy made against one opinion, doctrine, or person.
It is one-sided and extreme, not a debate or discussion. It often occurs in disputes.
The word is derived from the Greek polemikos (πολεμικός), meaning "warlike, hostile".[1][2]
History[change | change source]
Polemic journalism was common in continental Europe, when libel laws were not as stringent.[3]
To support study of the polemics and controversies of the 17th-19th centuries, a British research project has placed thousands of pamphlets of that era online.[4]
Related pages[change | change source]
Notes[change | change source]
- ↑ Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 2005), s.v. "polemic"
- ↑ American College Dictionary (Random House, New York)
- ↑ polemic, or polemical literature, or polemics (rhetoric). britannica.com. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
- ↑ "Pamphlet and polemic: Pamphlets as a guide to the controversies of the 17th-19th centuries". St Andrews University Library. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
References[change | change source]
- Gallop, Jane (2004). Polemic: critical or uncritical (1 ed.). New York: Routledge. ISBN 0415972280.
- Hawthorn, Jeremy (1987). Propaganda, persuasion and polemic. Hodder Arnold. ISBN 0713164972.
- Lander, Jesse M. (2006). Inventing polemic: religion, print, and literary culture in early modern England. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521838541.
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The Simple English Wiktionary has a definition for: polemic. |