Romantic democracy and the rhetoric of heroic citizenship

This paper examines the rhetorical construction of contemporary democratic citizenship by detailing the narrative style and recurrent themes which constitute the ideal citizen as a “representative character” of contemporary American democracy. Central to the rhetorical form is the portrayal of the ordinary citizen as a “hero” of democracy. The rhetoric of heroic citizenship creates a series of contrasts that works to effectively displace a more collective, deliberative, and political understanding of democratic citizenship.