Blog Post #3

I felt that the Medieval letter writing was a little more in depth than much of the advice and formats available today. Rationes dictandi, a book written in the Middle Ages, advised people on how to write a letter. Most business was conducted via letters during this time and that really shows in the steps outlined in this book. The medieval letters were supposed to begin with a salutation, followed by the Benevolentiae capatio which was intended to make the reader more attentive and relate to the writer. The letter would then have the facts, or the body, and then a request would be made of  the reader. Finally, the conclusion closes the letter.

This is relatively close to contemporary writing styles. Today, however, all business is not conducted through letters. I would say much of our business today is carried out through phone calls and short, informal emails. So, it makes sense that we have lost some of the formalities outlined in Rationes dicdanti. 
I found a site with various types of letters and the formats to use for each specific purpose.
http://www.letterwritingguide.com/

Here are the instructions for writing a letter of appeal:

The first paragraph should introduce yourself and explain why you are writing the letter. Although it may be difficult, be sure to keep your tone and emotions in check so that you can show that you can present an objective viewpoint. Keep the first paragraph as concise and clear as possible so that the reader can immediately understand its urgency.
The next paragraph(s) should narrate the account of what happened, and why your appeal should be granted. Include all the necessary facts in order to legitimize your case. You can start by referring to your handbook or guidelines as member of that particular group or institution. Also, provide specific times and date when particular events occurred. To make your letter more reader-friendly, use bullet-points every time you need to enumerate. After doing this, refer to testimonials from people related to your work, transcript of records, and medical certificate, if necessary. Be certain to cover all the bases necessary to
The last part should summarize everything you have stated above. Repeat the necessary points that need to be elucidated. Also include the contact details and where you can be reached. Close out the letter by thanking the reader for their time.

As you can see, this letter format is very similar to Middle Ages writing. It introduces the writer, gives the facts, makes a request, and then closes by thanking the reader. 

Even a basic business letter stays fairly close to the guidelines that were followed in the Middle Ages.

The most important element of writing a good letter is your ability to identify and write to your audience. If you are addressing your letter to the department of human resources, avoid using highly technical terms that only engineers would understand, even if your letter is addressed to an engineering company, chances are that the personnel in human resources does not have an engineering background.
The next element is that you make sure your present your objective in a clear and concise manner. Don't be vague about your objective, most people will not have the patience to sit there and guess at the meaning of your letter or the time to read a long-winded letter, just get to the point without going into unnecessary details.
Another important element to remember is to remain professional. Even if you are writing a complaint letter, remain polite and courteous, simply state the problem(s) along with any other relevant information and be sure to avoid threats and slander.


It is fairly easy to see how the advice given today still stays close to what Medieval writers were instructed to do. All letters begin with a salutation, which is even true for more informal emails today, they are then followed by a basic appeal and presentation of facts to support one's case. The writer then closes their letter by thanking the reader for their time and pressing any final arguments. I think these are still similar today because business is still conducted very formally, especially when writing letters described on this site.

Technology has affected letter writing in a really big way. As I mentioned earlier, letters just aren't written as much as they used to be. Formal letter writing is reserved for business reasons and, even in business settings, much easier forms of communication have taken over. Many times, a short and informal email will work much better than trying to write a lengthy and formal letter just to get one piece of information. Text messages and phone calls are much more widely used today, letters have become an almost dead technology.