''A''rs dictaminis (or ''ars dictandi'') refers to the art of letter-writing. The art of letter-writing often intersects with the art of

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

History of Letter-Writing

Greco-Roman Theory

Early examples of letter-writing theory can be found in C. Julius Victor's ''Ars rhetorica'' and Cassiodorus Senator's ''Variae epistolae.'' Other examples can be found in the Pseudo-Demetrius' ''Typoi epistolikoi,'' Pseudo-Libanius' ''Epistolimaioi kharacteres,''

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Dumit ...

' ''Peri hermeneias,''

Philostratus of Lemnos Philostratus of Lemnos ( grc-gre, Φιλόστρατος ὁ Λήμνιος; c. 190 – c. 230 AD), also known as Philostratus the Elder to distinguish him from Philostratus the Younger who was also from Lemnos, was a Greek sophist of the Roman imp ...

' treatise, and Gregory of Nazianus' ''Epistle 51.''

Latin Middle Ages

During the Latin medieval period, the standing assumption was that these writings would be composed in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, and according to well worked-out models. This made the arts of composition a subfield of

. Medieval letter writing developed for ecclesiastical, government, and business purposes. Important figures in the early development of Latin letter writing and document composition include

Alberic of Monte Cassino Alberic of Monte Cassino was a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, who died in 1088. He was a cardinal from 1057. He was (perhaps) a native of Trier, and became a Benedictine. He successfully opposed the teachings of Berengarius, which were con ...

(''Dictaminum radii, Breviarium''), his critic

Adalbert of Samaria Adalbert is a German given name which means "noble bright" or "noble shining", derived from the words ''adal'' (meaning noble) and ''berht'' (shining or bright). Alternative spellings include Adelbart, Adelbert and Adalberto. Derivative names inclu ...

(''Praecepta dictaminum'', c. 1120), Hugh of Bologna (''Rationes dictandi prosaice,'' c.1120), Anonymous' ''Aurea gemma'' (c.1119), Anonymous' ''Rationes dictandi'' (1135), Anonymous' ''Precepta prosaici dictaminis secundum Tullium'' (c. 1140), Bernard of Romagna's ''Introductiones prosaici dictaminis'' (1145), Anonymous' ''Ad plenam scientiam dictaminum'' (c.1140)'','' and Baldwin's ''Liber de dictaminibus'' (c.1150).

Lawrence of Aquilegia Lawrence of Aquilegia (Lorenzo di Aquileia) was a thirteenth-century Italian canon and teacher. He is best known for his treatises on the ars dictaminis—the medieval art of letter writing. Lawrence’s major works found inspiration in Ciceronian ...

(''Practica sive usus dictaminis'', c.1300) is a much later example of the genre. Letter conventions include some form of address (e.g., “Worshipful master”); salutation (“I greet you well”); notification (“May it please you to know”); exposition (“the wool was shipped”); disposition (“and I want my money”); and valediction (“May God keep you well, at least until my bill is paid”). Clerks and scribes wrote the letters based on those rules.

Early Modern Europe

Renaissance letter writing, inspired by the rediscovery of Cicero's letters, broaden the scope of letter writing instruction.

References

External links

* {{in lang, de}
Timeline of the ''ars dictandi''

Makdisi - Scholasticism and Humanism in Classical Islam and the Christian West - page 7
Rhetoric Middle Ages