A Thousand Years Of Model Letter-Writers

Abstract

Starting from letter writing as a part of rhetoric, this article seeks to trace the development of model letter-writers in England from their origins in Latin and French formularies to the present day. The first letter-writers in England appeared in the thirteenth century but it was not until the sixteenth that they were written in English. Gradually, they became directed more towards the requirements of ordinary working people rather than towards scholars. There are two main types of model letter-writer: those intended for serious use and, a later development, those aimed at entertainment. The formulas for opening and closing letters, as well as some others are examined. Dating from the fourteenth century and earlier, these survived into the twentieth century among less educated writers. In conclusion there is a brief look at the continuing publication of model letter-writers today.