Remember back when Augustine said, "For what is the use of a golden key if it cannot open what we ant it to? Or what is the objection to a wooden one if it can do so, since we are asking nothing save that what is closed be opened?" (466, left column)? Has anyone else noticed that this Medieval writing is a lot easier to understand the first time through?
I talked in my paper about the necessity of writing to become more prominent because the changing culture required it. Whether it was Plato's fear that writing dulled memory come to realization or not, writing became necessary; and the introduction to The Principles of Letter Writing states, "Canon law increased its range of control and its need for documentation. Also, the laws became more complicated as their range spread, necessitating more accurate written records" (492).
With the increased need culturally for writing, it was allowed to become more simple. When writing was unnecessary, it imitated complicated Roman speech, but when more people needed to understand it, it was simplified. On page 496, right column, The Principles of Letter Writing reads, "the words of the writer might reach even the least educated or the most ignorant persons." Writing served more purposes, at this time, than simply dialectic and discussion. "A written composition is a setting-forth of some matter in writing" (496). AKA any matter in writing, so it had to be more accessible to more people.
I agree, writing is becoming more of a necessity at the time of this text. People are becoming Christianized and more and more occasions for an exact representation of one's thoughts are necessary. Countries across Western Europe are beginning to communicate with each other in a more exact fashion. It also helps that the common man is slowly become literate as well, so there are more people with the capability of writing a letter.
ReplyDeleteSabrina, I too found that these texts were much easily digestible than the classical rhetoricians, but I found it really ironic that at this point in time most of the kings were, in fact, illiterate. It makes me wonder then, who was reading the letter to the king? Did all sorts of positions open up for rhetors in politics because of this need to communicate more broadly? It's sort of interesting to wonder... I do think that since we even see a text like The Principles of Letter Writing exist, then that is proof alone that writing was becoming more notably important, and whether it was a historical document or a past time is probably less important than noting this shift.
ReplyDelete