35:) is a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing. In the modern narrow sense, it is a label for literary works that do not fall into the major categories such as fiction, poetry, or drama. The phrase is sometimes used pejoratively for writing that focuses on the aesthetic qualities of language rather than its practical application. A writer of belles-lettres is a
176:
Writing-in-the-disciplines adherents, well aware of the wide range of academic genres a first-year composition student may have to deal with in the future, are unlikely to force those students to venture so deeply into any one genre as to require slavish imitation. The only first-year composition
177:
teachers likely to demand "conformity and submission" to a particular kind of academic discourse are those
English-department fixtures, the evangelical disciples of literature, professors whose goal in first-year composition is to teach students to explicate
95:, for example, described belles-lettres as the "department of literature which implies literary culture and belongs to the domain of art, whatever the subject may be or the special form; it includes poetry, the drama, fiction, and criticism," while the
211:
is on defining the characteristics of rhetorical style such as beauty, sublimity, propriety and wit all of which play a part in affecting the emotion and reasoning capabilities of the audience. Also important to those studying rhetoric and
163:
often deride many language departments (particularly
English departments in the English-speaking world) for focusing on the aesthetic qualities of language rather than its practical application. A quote from Brian Sutton's article in
183:. Writing-in-the-disciplines adherents, unlike teachers of literature-as-composition, generally recognize the folly of forcing students to conform to the conventions of a discourse community they have no desire to join.
144:
and others who have to classify books: while a large library might have separate categories for essays, letters, humor and so forth (and most of them are assigned different codes in, for example, the
110:
is used in a narrower sense to identify literary works that do not fall into other major categories, such as fiction, poetry or drama. Thus, it would include essays,
912:
101:
describes it as "the more artistic and imaginative forms of literature, as poetry or romance, as opposed to more pedestrian and exact studies."
233:
140:(2nd Edition) says that "it is now generally applied (when used at all) to the lighter branches of literature". The term remains in use among
777:
216:
is defining the taste of the audience; this is key to being a truly successful rhetorician or writer. As another belles-lettres rhetorician,
300:
97:
365:
203:
movement is to "discover a foundation for reasoning upon the taste of an individual" and "design a science of rational criticism."
864:
849:
859:
830:
787:
411:
802:
238:
57:
phrase meaning 'beautiful' or 'fine' writing. In this sense, therefore, it includes all literary works—especially
907:
755:
159:
The phrase is sometimes used in a derogatory manner when speaking about the study of literature: those who study
782:
145:
813:
263:
168:, "Writing in the Disciplines, First-Year Composition, and the Research Paper", serves to illustrate the
274:
917:
869:
136:
950:
902:
551:
404:
224:, "taste is foundational to rhetoric and necessary for successful spoken and written discourse."
204:
690:
196:
928:
294:
766:
268:
922:
897:
854:
91:
8:
841:
807:
772:
586:
397:
792:
760:
561:
546:
347:
657:
640:
566:
556:
508:
339:
82:
54:
724:
331:
243:
123:
729:
719:
678:
630:
481:
454:
78:
31:
36:
596:
74:
944:
835:
343:
320:"Rhetoric and Belles Lettres in the Canadian Academy: An Historical Analysis"
289:
207:
criticizes the term as being of less than reputable origin. The focus of the
890:
885:
797:
662:
650:
434:
739:
707:
668:
513:
439:
700:
625:
591:
518:
503:
491:
459:
420:
304:. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 699.
217:
86:
351:
319:
152:
of modest size they are often all grouped together under the heading "
684:
673:
635:
528:
293:
141:
712:
601:
523:
469:
444:
335:
267:
169:
160:
119:
113:
695:
645:
619:
496:
449:
149:
58:
734:
606:
464:
131:
127:
62:
486:
389:
70:
66:
913:
List of people considered a founder in a
Humanities field
476:
539:
172:' opinion on this subject and their use of the term:
942:
778:Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
405:
134:writings, and other miscellaneous works. The
178:
166:Language and Learning Across the Disciplines
111:
105:
48:
20:
234:Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
412:
398:
313:
311:
288:
98:Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition
85:. The term thus can be used to refer to
382:Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres
317:
278:. London and New York: Frederick Warne.
222:Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres
943:
308:
865:National Endowment for the Humanities
850:Humanities, arts, and social sciences
393:
30:
860:Moscow University for the Humanities
831:Arts and Humanities Research Council
788:Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
262:
16:Art writing or miscellaneous fiction
146:Dewey decimal classification system
104:However, for many modern purposes,
13:
14:
962:
239:Arts and letters (disambiguation)
199:(1696–1782) says the aim of the
908:Humanities in the United States
756:American Journal of Archaeology
783:Journal of Controversial Ideas
419:
374:
367:Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine
358:
282:
256:
1:
249:
803:Revue des Études Arméniennes
209:Belletristic Rhetoric Theory
7:
227:
118:, published collections of
42:
10:
967:
370:. William Blackwood. 1821.
918:Outline of the humanities
898:Criticism of mass culture
878:
870:National Humanities Medal
823:
748:
579:
427:
137:Oxford English Dictionary
903:Educational essentialism
540:Interdisciplinary fields
275:The Nuttall Encyclopædia
301:Encyclopædia Britannica
220:(1718–1800), states in
205:Samuel Taylor Coleridge
691:Liberal arts education
295:"Belles-Lettres"
269:"Belles-lettres"
185:
179:
112:
106:
49:
21:
767:History of Humanities
318:Johnson, Nan (1988).
191:, prominent Scottish
189:Elements of Criticism
174:
28:French pronunciation:
923:Renaissance humanism
855:Master of Humanities
92:Nuttall Encyclopedia
842:Geisteswissenschaft
808:Teaching Philosophy
587:Abductive reasoning
77:and originality of
75:aesthetic qualities
929:Studia Humanitatis
73:—valued for their
938:
937:
658:General knowledge
641:Cultural literacy
575:
574:
509:Religious studies
445:Classical studies
32:[bɛllɛtʁ]
958:
725:Self-realization
537:
536:
414:
407:
400:
391:
390:
384:
378:
372:
371:
362:
356:
355:
315:
306:
305:
297:
286:
280:
279:
271:
260:
244:Literary fiction
182:
117:
109:
52:
34:
29:
24:
966:
965:
961:
960:
959:
957:
956:
955:
951:Literary genres
941:
940:
939:
934:
874:
819:
744:
730:Self-reflection
720:Moral character
679:Human condition
631:Critical theory
571:
535:
482:Performing arts
423:
418:
388:
387:
379:
375:
364:
363:
359:
324:College English
316:
309:
287:
283:
261:
257:
252:
230:
89:generally. The
45:
27:
17:
12:
11:
5:
964:
954:
953:
936:
935:
933:
932:
925:
920:
915:
910:
905:
900:
895:
894:
893:
882:
880:
876:
875:
873:
872:
867:
862:
857:
852:
847:
846:
845:
833:
827:
825:
821:
820:
818:
817:
810:
805:
800:
795:
790:
785:
780:
775:
770:
763:
758:
752:
750:
746:
745:
743:
742:
737:
732:
727:
722:
717:
716:
715:
705:
704:
703:
698:
688:
681:
676:
671:
665:
660:
655:
654:
653:
643:
638:
633:
628:
623:
616:
613:Belles-lettres
609:
604:
599:
597:Antipositivism
594:
589:
583:
581:
577:
576:
573:
572:
570:
569:
564:
559:
554:
549:
543:
541:
534:
533:
532:
531:
526:
521:
511:
506:
501:
500:
499:
494:
489:
479:
474:
473:
472:
467:
462:
452:
447:
442:
437:
431:
429:
425:
424:
417:
416:
409:
402:
394:
386:
385:
373:
357:
336:10.2307/377982
330:(8): 861–873.
307:
292:, ed. (1911).
290:Chisholm, Hugh
281:
266:, ed. (1907).
254:
253:
251:
248:
247:
246:
241:
236:
229:
226:
214:belles-lettres
201:belles-lettres
193:belles-lettres
180:belles lettres
154:belles-lettres
107:belles-lettres
50:belles-lettres
44:
41:
22:Belles-lettres
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
963:
952:
949:
948:
946:
931:
930:
926:
924:
921:
919:
916:
914:
911:
909:
906:
904:
901:
899:
896:
892:
889:
888:
887:
884:
883:
881:
877:
871:
868:
866:
863:
861:
858:
856:
853:
851:
848:
844:
843:
839:
838:
837:
836:Human science
834:
832:
829:
828:
826:
822:
816:
815:
811:
809:
806:
804:
801:
799:
796:
794:
791:
789:
786:
784:
781:
779:
776:
774:
771:
769:
768:
764:
762:
759:
757:
754:
753:
751:
747:
741:
738:
736:
733:
731:
728:
726:
723:
721:
718:
714:
711:
710:
709:
706:
702:
699:
697:
694:
693:
692:
689:
687:
686:
682:
680:
677:
675:
672:
670:
666:
664:
661:
659:
656:
652:
649:
648:
647:
644:
642:
639:
637:
634:
632:
629:
627:
624:
622:
621:
617:
615:
614:
610:
608:
605:
603:
600:
598:
595:
593:
590:
588:
585:
584:
582:
578:
568:
565:
563:
560:
558:
555:
553:
552:Environmental
550:
548:
545:
544:
542:
538:
530:
527:
525:
522:
520:
517:
516:
515:
512:
510:
507:
505:
502:
498:
495:
493:
490:
488:
485:
484:
483:
480:
478:
475:
471:
468:
466:
463:
461:
458:
457:
456:
455:Language arts
453:
451:
448:
446:
443:
441:
438:
436:
433:
432:
430:
426:
422:
415:
410:
408:
403:
401:
396:
395:
392:
383:
380:Blair, Hugh,
377:
369:
368:
361:
353:
349:
345:
341:
337:
333:
329:
325:
321:
314:
312:
303:
302:
296:
291:
285:
277:
276:
270:
265:
259:
255:
245:
242:
240:
237:
235:
232:
231:
225:
223:
219:
215:
210:
206:
202:
198:
194:
190:
184:
181:
173:
171:
167:
162:
157:
155:
151:
147:
143:
139:
138:
133:
129:
125:
121:
116:
115:
108:
102:
100:
99:
94:
93:
88:
84:
80:
76:
72:
68:
64:
60:
56:
51:
40:
38:
33:
25:
23:
927:
891:Philistinism
886:Antihumanism
840:
812:
798:Nova Religio
765:
683:
663:Hermeneutics
618:
612:
611:
435:Anthropology
381:
376:
366:
360:
327:
323:
299:
284:
273:
258:
221:
213:
208:
200:
195:rhetorician
192:
188:
186:
175:
170:rhetoricians
165:
158:
153:
135:
103:
96:
90:
46:
19:
18:
740:Work of art
708:Metaphysics
669:Historicism
514:Visual arts
440:Archaeology
428:Disciplines
264:Wood, James
47:Literally,
701:Quadrivium
626:Creativity
592:Aesthetics
519:Filmmaking
504:Philosophy
460:Literature
421:Humanities
250:References
218:Hugh Blair
197:Lord Kames
142:librarians
87:literature
37:belletrist
773:Humanitas
685:Humanitas
674:Historism
636:Criticism
529:Sculpture
344:0010-0994
150:libraries
128:satirical
945:Category
824:Academia
793:Leonardo
761:Daedalus
749:Journals
713:Ontology
602:The arts
524:Painting
470:Rhetoric
228:See also
161:rhetoric
132:humorous
120:speeches
43:Overview
879:Related
814:more...
696:Trivium
646:Culture
620:Bildung
562:Medical
547:Digital
497:Theatre
450:History
187:In his
124:letters
59:fiction
735:Wisdom
667:
607:Beauty
580:Themes
567:Public
557:Health
465:Poetry
352:377982
350:
342:
148:), in
114:récits
71:essays
63:poetry
55:French
492:Music
487:Dance
348:JSTOR
79:style
69:, or
67:drama
53:is a
651:High
340:ISSN
130:and
122:and
83:tone
81:and
477:Law
332:doi
156:".
947::
346:.
338:.
328:50
326:.
322:.
310:^
298:.
272:.
126:,
65:,
61:,
39:.
413:e
406:t
399:v
354:.
334::
26:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.