ABSTRACT
This text chronicles a change in epistolary persuasion in the 1230's, crystallized at the imperial chancery of Frederick II, Emperor from 1220-1250. There, traditional appeals, premised on authority and harmony, were challenged by letters in which historical circumstances functioned as an integral part of the strategy of persuasion. Based on the close reading of "Artes Dictandi", as well as a series of letters issued from the papal and imperial chanceries, this book explores the theory and practice of medieval letter-writing. Letters are evaluated as verbal acts intended to persuade, with the public as the ultimate arbiter of success. The author argues that the form, proportion and style of letters were contoured by ideology.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part 1|74 pages
Background to the Question
chapter Chapter 1|30 pages
Framing the Facts in Medieval Epistolary Theory
chapter Chapter 2|23 pages
Persuasion and Reception
chapter Chapter 3|18 pages
Pope vs. Emperor: The Issues of Contention
part 2|59 pages
Persuasion and Power at the Papal Chancery
chapter Chapter 4|17 pages
Elevated Prose Style and Power at the Chancery of Innocent III
chapter Chapter 5|19 pages
Harmony and Conflict at the Chancery of Honorius III
chapter Chapter 6|19 pages
Limits of Persuasion at the Chancery of Gregory IX
part 3|75 pages
Persuasion and Resistance at the Imperial Chancery