Presented by Edwin Battistella, Author

In this presentation, author Edwin Battistella discusses his book, Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels:  Insulting the President from Washington to Trump (Oxford University Press, 2020).  Battistella traces the ways in which presidents have been insulted over the centuries since the founding of the republic, selecting from over 500 examples he has collected.  Battistella suggests that less has changed than you might think, as far as insults go.  He also looks at the language of the insult itself and the categories of invective and figures of speech that resonate politically.  And you learn how various chief executives have responded to attacks.  

About the Speaker:

Edwin L. Battistella teaches linguistics and writing at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon.  He is the author of six books including Sorry About That: the Language of Public Apology. 

Battistella contributes a monthly blog to Oxford University Press, called Between the Lines with Edwin Battistella. He also moderates the Literary Ashland blog and twitter feed.

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