Allison Tharp, postdoctoral researcher in the University of Delaware’s English department, will present “A Century and a Half of American Protest: The Long Lasting Impact of Rhetorical Techniques,” at noon, Wednesday, April 12.

Her presentation will be held in the Class of 1941 Lecture Room in the Morris Library as part of the University of Delaware Library Assembly of Professional Staff (UDLAPS) “Scholar in the Library” series.

The brown-bag luncheon program is open to the public.

Tharp will discuss her research on 19th century American protest literature and the rhetorical device of containment -- an argumentative strategy protest authors used to appeal to their readers' sense of injustice. After detailing the cultural context of the 19th century's valuation of freedom, Tharp will briefly discuss a few works of 19th century protest literature before turning her attention to recent forms of protest, most notably Jordan Peele's 2017 film Get Out, to demonstrate how the rhetorical strategy of containment is a long-lasting and effective device in protest texts.