Flash essay consideration of homesickness and reading Ron Hansen's short story "Nebraska" in a pa... more Flash essay consideration of homesickness and reading Ron Hansen's short story "Nebraska" in a pandemic
Literary review of a book on practical permaculture. Wisconsin farmer Mark Shepard argues persuas... more Literary review of a book on practical permaculture. Wisconsin farmer Mark Shepard argues persuasively that “restoration agriculture”—a style of farming that models itself after the natural ecosystems of the Midwest rather than a manufacturing facility—can not only restore biodiversity but provide better nutrition and a better economic foundation for our communities.
CNF consideration of the 2019 Nebraska floods, neglected rivers, and what it means to live in an ... more CNF consideration of the 2019 Nebraska floods, neglected rivers, and what it means to live in an abused landscape.
Reeds Spring, MO. Last fall, newly arrived in our home, my wife and I discovered wild maypops gro... more Reeds Spring, MO. Last fall, newly arrived in our home, my wife and I discovered wild maypops growing in our yard. Also known as purple passion flower, these native vines feature spectacular flowers, a Christological botanical name (Passiflora incarnata), and-we read as we identified the plants online-delicious edible fruits. To successfully bear and ripen fruit in our climate, however, the vines need something to climb. Lacking that, the maypops by our house straggled across the ground and produced nothing edible, or at least nothing worth eating. A few fruits grew yellow and wrinkled and appeared ripe, but they offered no flavor besides a puckering acidity. We were disappointed, but not surprised, given our lack of experience with the plant. This spring, however, we erected a haphazard trellis using prunings from our crape myrtle bushes and awaited our maypop harvest. Shortly, we had robust vines which fruited heavily; however, we still had little idea how to tell when the fruit would ripen. We waited. Though we neither planted nor watered these wild, weedy vines, we nonetheless cherished a fervent desire for a harvest.
Kenneth R. Chase has defended a robust Christian rhetorical theory based on the doctrine of the i... more Kenneth R. Chase has defended a robust Christian rhetorical theory based on the doctrine of the incarnation and called for further investigation into historical resources for such a rhetoric. I offer George Herbert’s rhetoric of the rural pastor as such a resource. Herbert weds a Christian approach to audience (derived from Augustine) to a thoroughly incarnational rhetoric extending beyond the pulpit to the parson’s household and way of life. As such, he offers a model of incarnational rhetoric that challenges histories of rhetoric premised upon a simple opposition between philosophy and rhetoric.
A theological consideration of minimalism, consumerism and waste. Winner of the 2018 Seerveld Pri... more A theological consideration of minimalism, consumerism and waste. Winner of the 2018 Seerveld Prize for New Writers.
A polemical piece against deprecating comments directed at the flat landscape of the Midwest, and... more A polemical piece against deprecating comments directed at the flat landscape of the Midwest, and espousing a new way to see those landscapes as worthy of attention.
A work of creative nonfiction weaving together apocalyptic literatures, natural disasters, and re... more A work of creative nonfiction weaving together apocalyptic literatures, natural disasters, and reflections upon hope and resilience.
A handout and terminology cheat sheet covering the basic concepts of my dissertation, "Why Rhetor... more A handout and terminology cheat sheet covering the basic concepts of my dissertation, "Why Rhetoricians Don't Get Religion: a Counter-history of Sacred Rhetoric." It covers what I term the IJsseling Story (philosophy and rhetoric in conflict) and my own approach, speculative sacred rhetoric. It also discusses ideas from Kenneth Burke, Bruno Latour, and Charles Taylor, all in service of a new history of religion's place in the rhetorical tradition. For more information, feel free to PM me.
Gift exchange is an important but neglected theme in criticism of early English drama. My thesis ... more Gift exchange is an important but neglected theme in criticism of early English drama. My thesis develops this theme by addressing two of the most important ritual elements of that drama: the sacrament of the Eucharist, and the rhetoric of preacher-performers. Understanding these two key rituals as gift exchange reveals a complex and subtle theology of the gift in early drama, one which grounds social relations—both between humanity and God and between individual humans—in a form of ethical reciprocity best thought of as gift exchange. This remains true whether gift exchange is envisioned (as it variously is) as coexisting with market exchange, or as disruptive of such exchange. Though various early English plays do not depict gift exchange in precisely the same way, then, the gift remains a crucial theological category for them all.
Scholarship on faith in the classroom tends to situate it within a clash of worldviews (skeptical... more Scholarship on faith in the classroom tends to situate it within a clash of worldviews (skeptical academic vs. believing student), yet I argue that it may be more productive to view this encounter as shaped by divergent liturgies: habits and ways of life. Presented at CCCC 2017 in Portland.
On the limitations of Kenneth Burke's rhetoric of religion and how a material perspective might e... more On the limitations of Kenneth Burke's rhetoric of religion and how a material perspective might enrich it. Presented at the 2014 Kenneth Burke Society Conference.
A response to Richard Miller's book Writing at the End of the World, considering it from the pers... more A response to Richard Miller's book Writing at the End of the World, considering it from the perspective of teleology and religious language. Handout attached. For further material, feel free to PM me.
Flash essay consideration of homesickness and reading Ron Hansen's short story "Nebraska" in a pa... more Flash essay consideration of homesickness and reading Ron Hansen's short story "Nebraska" in a pandemic
Literary review of a book on practical permaculture. Wisconsin farmer Mark Shepard argues persuas... more Literary review of a book on practical permaculture. Wisconsin farmer Mark Shepard argues persuasively that “restoration agriculture”—a style of farming that models itself after the natural ecosystems of the Midwest rather than a manufacturing facility—can not only restore biodiversity but provide better nutrition and a better economic foundation for our communities.
CNF consideration of the 2019 Nebraska floods, neglected rivers, and what it means to live in an ... more CNF consideration of the 2019 Nebraska floods, neglected rivers, and what it means to live in an abused landscape.
Reeds Spring, MO. Last fall, newly arrived in our home, my wife and I discovered wild maypops gro... more Reeds Spring, MO. Last fall, newly arrived in our home, my wife and I discovered wild maypops growing in our yard. Also known as purple passion flower, these native vines feature spectacular flowers, a Christological botanical name (Passiflora incarnata), and-we read as we identified the plants online-delicious edible fruits. To successfully bear and ripen fruit in our climate, however, the vines need something to climb. Lacking that, the maypops by our house straggled across the ground and produced nothing edible, or at least nothing worth eating. A few fruits grew yellow and wrinkled and appeared ripe, but they offered no flavor besides a puckering acidity. We were disappointed, but not surprised, given our lack of experience with the plant. This spring, however, we erected a haphazard trellis using prunings from our crape myrtle bushes and awaited our maypop harvest. Shortly, we had robust vines which fruited heavily; however, we still had little idea how to tell when the fruit would ripen. We waited. Though we neither planted nor watered these wild, weedy vines, we nonetheless cherished a fervent desire for a harvest.
Kenneth R. Chase has defended a robust Christian rhetorical theory based on the doctrine of the i... more Kenneth R. Chase has defended a robust Christian rhetorical theory based on the doctrine of the incarnation and called for further investigation into historical resources for such a rhetoric. I offer George Herbert’s rhetoric of the rural pastor as such a resource. Herbert weds a Christian approach to audience (derived from Augustine) to a thoroughly incarnational rhetoric extending beyond the pulpit to the parson’s household and way of life. As such, he offers a model of incarnational rhetoric that challenges histories of rhetoric premised upon a simple opposition between philosophy and rhetoric.
A theological consideration of minimalism, consumerism and waste. Winner of the 2018 Seerveld Pri... more A theological consideration of minimalism, consumerism and waste. Winner of the 2018 Seerveld Prize for New Writers.
A polemical piece against deprecating comments directed at the flat landscape of the Midwest, and... more A polemical piece against deprecating comments directed at the flat landscape of the Midwest, and espousing a new way to see those landscapes as worthy of attention.
A work of creative nonfiction weaving together apocalyptic literatures, natural disasters, and re... more A work of creative nonfiction weaving together apocalyptic literatures, natural disasters, and reflections upon hope and resilience.
A handout and terminology cheat sheet covering the basic concepts of my dissertation, "Why Rhetor... more A handout and terminology cheat sheet covering the basic concepts of my dissertation, "Why Rhetoricians Don't Get Religion: a Counter-history of Sacred Rhetoric." It covers what I term the IJsseling Story (philosophy and rhetoric in conflict) and my own approach, speculative sacred rhetoric. It also discusses ideas from Kenneth Burke, Bruno Latour, and Charles Taylor, all in service of a new history of religion's place in the rhetorical tradition. For more information, feel free to PM me.
Gift exchange is an important but neglected theme in criticism of early English drama. My thesis ... more Gift exchange is an important but neglected theme in criticism of early English drama. My thesis develops this theme by addressing two of the most important ritual elements of that drama: the sacrament of the Eucharist, and the rhetoric of preacher-performers. Understanding these two key rituals as gift exchange reveals a complex and subtle theology of the gift in early drama, one which grounds social relations—both between humanity and God and between individual humans—in a form of ethical reciprocity best thought of as gift exchange. This remains true whether gift exchange is envisioned (as it variously is) as coexisting with market exchange, or as disruptive of such exchange. Though various early English plays do not depict gift exchange in precisely the same way, then, the gift remains a crucial theological category for them all.
Scholarship on faith in the classroom tends to situate it within a clash of worldviews (skeptical... more Scholarship on faith in the classroom tends to situate it within a clash of worldviews (skeptical academic vs. believing student), yet I argue that it may be more productive to view this encounter as shaped by divergent liturgies: habits and ways of life. Presented at CCCC 2017 in Portland.
On the limitations of Kenneth Burke's rhetoric of religion and how a material perspective might e... more On the limitations of Kenneth Burke's rhetoric of religion and how a material perspective might enrich it. Presented at the 2014 Kenneth Burke Society Conference.
A response to Richard Miller's book Writing at the End of the World, considering it from the pers... more A response to Richard Miller's book Writing at the End of the World, considering it from the perspective of teleology and religious language. Handout attached. For further material, feel free to PM me.
Review of David Lyle Jeffrey and Geoffrey Maillet, Christianity and Literature: Philosophical Fou... more Review of David Lyle Jeffrey and Geoffrey Maillet, Christianity and Literature: Philosophical Foundations and Critical Practice. Reflections on Christianity and literature, literary theory, and aesthetics.
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Papers by Matt Miller
Theses by Matt Miller
humans—in a form of ethical reciprocity best thought of as gift exchange. This remains true whether gift exchange is envisioned (as it variously is) as coexisting with market exchange, or as disruptive of such exchange. Though various early English plays do not depict gift exchange in precisely the same way, then, the gift remains a crucial theological category for them all.
Talks by Matt Miller
humans—in a form of ethical reciprocity best thought of as gift exchange. This remains true whether gift exchange is envisioned (as it variously is) as coexisting with market exchange, or as disruptive of such exchange. Though various early English plays do not depict gift exchange in precisely the same way, then, the gift remains a crucial theological category for them all.