The Art of Letter Writing- Artes Dictaminis

Rhetoric during the Middle Ages underwent significant changes. For example, written communication became much more popular rather than simply relying on oral communication so heavily. One very significant written form of communication and form of rhetoric during the Middle Ages was artes dictaminis or the art of letter writing. At first, letters followed a very strict "formulae" in which a very famous textbook known as Rationes dictandi outlines very carefully. There are five important parts of a letter according to the Rationes dictandi and they are as follow: 

1. Salutatio- Salutation/Greeting

2. Benevolentiae captatio- "Welcoming caption"? Grabs readers attention

3. Narratio- Facts 

4. Petitio- Request

5. Conclusio- Closing 

According to OWL Purdue online, a business letter should include the following: 

1. Sender's Address

2. Date

3. Inside Address

4. Salutation

5. Body

6. Closing

7. Enclosures

8. Typist Initials 

Both recommendations include salutations, bodies, and closings. These are the three most significant parts of any letter. Things like initials, date, and addresses are almost trivial and without them it is easy to still recognize a piece of writing as a letter. Letters now seem to be more specific about what to include and what not to include but overall both are very similar to one another. The time in which these recommendations were made can and most likely do have an influence on the list of what to include. Things like addresses, and more specifically street names and house numbers may have run differently. With the advances in technology throughout the ages, it is understandable why the list for what to include in a letter has been extended. Print is not as tedious and does not cost as much money.