Shared values

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Abstract

This lecture focuses on the language of petition letters in order to reconstruct the underlying value system. By comparing the arguments presented, the values invoked, the expectations raised and the presuppositions formulated in the letters—in short, the epistolary rhetoric of persuasion in use—an analysis is proposed of the shared ethical code and moral principles that these letters mobilize. The letters' common rhetorical features and shared moral and social values are also examined in relation to the normative texts circulating at the time, while simultaneously assessing the relationship between theoretical debates and their practical applications.