Abstract/Summary

This study of the use of vituperation in the letter argues for a well-understood, if unstable, distinction in elite letter-writing between moderate, constructive anger, which was justifiable, and immoderate anger and violent, abusive words, which could not be tolerated. Elite women, therefore, were able to employ vituperative rhetoric without damaging their reputation. However, this essay shows how elite women also wrote deliberately intemperate angry letters based on a calculation of the social risks involved. These risks were themselves often difficult to determine because of the inherent volatility of angry speech.