De conscribendis epistolis
Encyclopedia
On the Writing of Letters was a popular Early Modern guide to the art of letter writing
by Spanish humanist
Juan Luis Vives
. First published in 1534 in conjunction with Desiderius Erasmus' treatise of the same name, Vives's work attempts to teach letter writers how to engage a variety of audiences.
of Spain. On the surface, Vives sought to help Idiáquez avoid what Vives saw as a popular misunderstanding of how successful letters should be written. Because this work was also published, it seems safe to assume Vives wanted to rectify the dictamen on a large scale. Since the early days of the Roman Empire, letter writers had attempted to apply the principles of oratory wholesale to epistolary composition. This approach remained popular well into the Renaissance. The result was a society of writers who did not observe practical decorum in their letters. Vives warns that it is easy for a writer to slip into "... impudence or arrogance or loquacity or ostentation or cunning or pedantic affectation or excessive and parasitical flattery or ignorance or imprudence."
The current authority on De conscribendis epistolis, Charles Fantazzi traces this epistolary renaissance to the rediscovery of Cicero
’s letters to Atticus, Quintus Cicero, and Brutus. In 1345, these letters were found by Petrarch
in the Chapter Library of Verona. Vives frequently cites Cicero as a prime example of a writer who tailored his letters according to the epistolary occasion.
Thus, it is not a speech delivered by an orator in a crowded assembly. Rather, it is a conversation. Vives then gives a history lesson on the letter in an attempt to show that the best letter writers of antiquity understood this conversational aspect of the letter.
Vives states that the exordium
of the letter is both the hardest to write and the most important part of the letter. It will color the reader’s reaction throughout the body of the letter. It is important to tailor this section to the recipient:
Vives also gives instructions on how to vary the letter’s style according to genre. He covers letters of petition, instruction, congratulations, consolation, incentive, and shared interests. “We may write on every subject,” says Vives, but he focuses his attention on the most popular epistolary genres.
Following the pattern Vives sets out in his discussion of the exordium, the bulk of De conscribendis epistolis covers the components of the letter and considerations for composition such as diction and addresses on superscriptions. Throughout this how-to section of the treatise, Vives offers examples and templates, which are “suitable for our use” in the 1530s, as he puts it.
Ars dictaminis
The ars dictaminis was the medieval description of the art of prose composition, and more specifically of the writing of letters . It is closely linked to the ars dictandi, covering the composition of documents other than letters. The standing assumption was that these writings would be composed in...
by Spanish humanist
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...
Juan Luis Vives
Juan Luís Vives
Juan Luis Vives , also Joan Lluís Vives i March , was a Valencian Spanish scholar and humanist.-Biography:Vives was born in Valencia...
. First published in 1534 in conjunction with Desiderius Erasmus' treatise of the same name, Vives's work attempts to teach letter writers how to engage a variety of audiences.
Background
In 1533, Vives wrote De conscribendis epistolis for Alonso Idiáquez, secretary to Emperor Charles VCharles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
of Spain. On the surface, Vives sought to help Idiáquez avoid what Vives saw as a popular misunderstanding of how successful letters should be written. Because this work was also published, it seems safe to assume Vives wanted to rectify the dictamen on a large scale. Since the early days of the Roman Empire, letter writers had attempted to apply the principles of oratory wholesale to epistolary composition. This approach remained popular well into the Renaissance. The result was a society of writers who did not observe practical decorum in their letters. Vives warns that it is easy for a writer to slip into "... impudence or arrogance or loquacity or ostentation or cunning or pedantic affectation or excessive and parasitical flattery or ignorance or imprudence."
The current authority on De conscribendis epistolis, Charles Fantazzi traces this epistolary renaissance to the rediscovery of Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
’s letters to Atticus, Quintus Cicero, and Brutus. In 1345, these letters were found by Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
in the Chapter Library of Verona. Vives frequently cites Cicero as a prime example of a writer who tailored his letters according to the epistolary occasion.
Synopsis
Vives begins by telling “Señor Idiáquez” to always consider the rhetorical situation for the letter, primarily evaluating the relationship of the writer to the recipient. The reason is that, as Saint Ambrose told Sabinus, "In a letter the image of the living presence emits its glow between persons distant from each other, and conversation committed to writing unites those who are separated from each other."Thus, it is not a speech delivered by an orator in a crowded assembly. Rather, it is a conversation. Vives then gives a history lesson on the letter in an attempt to show that the best letter writers of antiquity understood this conversational aspect of the letter.
Vives states that the exordium
Exordium (rhetoric)
In Western classical rhetoric, the exordium was the introductory portion of an oration. The term is Latin and the Greek equivalent was called the Proem or Prooimion....
of the letter is both the hardest to write and the most important part of the letter. It will color the reader’s reaction throughout the body of the letter. It is important to tailor this section to the recipient:
Vives also gives instructions on how to vary the letter’s style according to genre. He covers letters of petition, instruction, congratulations, consolation, incentive, and shared interests. “We may write on every subject,” says Vives, but he focuses his attention on the most popular epistolary genres.
Following the pattern Vives sets out in his discussion of the exordium, the bulk of De conscribendis epistolis covers the components of the letter and considerations for composition such as diction and addresses on superscriptions. Throughout this how-to section of the treatise, Vives offers examples and templates, which are “suitable for our use” in the 1530s, as he puts it.