This historical survey of speech journals and sixty-one textbooks covers seventy years of the treatment of the concept of impersonation within the Art of Oral Interpretation, from 1916 to 1985. The purpose of the study is to investigate the concept of impersonation, synthesize the material for the benefit of contemporary thought, provide clarity for the student, surveying scrutiny for the curious, and finally, provide additional contemporary knowledge in the light of' "a gradual evolution of teaching methods." The essential questions are: 1. How has the concept of impersonation within the Art of Oral Interpretation been treated in the past? 2. How is the concept of impersonation within the Art of Oral Interpretation treated in the present? 3. How should the concept of impersonation within the Art of Oral Interpretation be treated?