Letter Writing

Letter writing for our medieval rhetors is integral to understanding these thinkers today. Evidence of this lies in ars dictaminis. Herzberg and Bizzel discuss the importance of this selection in their introduction: "[letters as discussed in text] were intended to move people to action, to persuade in a special sense. "(494) While this may seem like a 'duh' statement, it really speaks to the direction of rhetoric at that time. Already the byproduct of numerous classical orators, rhetoric and its many children fan out in a modern light during the medieval period. Our anonymous author offers a guide similar to Cicero's, an arrangements of thoughts to refine and sharpen an orator’s skills. The prescriptive format of each section speaks to our anonymous authors influence derived from Cicero, and in turn, many other classical orators. Something that stuck out in this piece, that resonates with rhetoric's versatility, can be found on page  496: "By the term 'accordance with circumstances' we mean a method for the more experienced writers. It is an apt accordance, a set of words ordered in a way different from ordinary syntax; it must by all means be made harmonious and clear, that is, like a flowing current." This quote illustrates the variety of ways true and viable rhetoric can be employed in different circumstances, however only an experienced orator will be able to apply rhetoric 'like a flowing current' in the right situations.