In chapters five through eight, we see how various individuals altered the study of language and use of rhetoric in influential ways. Whether by altering gender roles, or challenging systems of thought, individuals such as Catherine of Sienna, Margaret Cavendish, Petrarch, and Peter Ramus played a role in the way rhetoric is employed today.
In a patriarchal system, Catherine of Sienna was ahead of her time. During the medieval era, letter writing was prominent. Letters were written by professional male secretaries and scribes in traditional, masculine, rhetorical style. When women began writing letters, they donned the masculine form, in efforts to be taken seriously. Although Catherine of Sienna lacked formal education, she was able to make a profound contribution to rhetoric that influenced her time, as well as rhetoric to come. By combining the secular and ecclesiastical policies that were prevalent in her time through writing, Catherine cast an influence on persuasion that evolved the style of writing used during her time. Her letters altered approaches to poetry, and paved the way for female …show more content…
Cavendish studied science and philosophy and used these studies as the framework for the six books that she wrote. Although Cavendish admired the works of Shakespeare and Ovid, she chose to write her works in a seemingly plain fashion, as a means of reaching a broader audience. In addition to her scientific works, Cavendish wrote plays and poems as well. Cavendish is notable not only for writing as a woman without the use of a male pseudonym, but for her writing style as well. Her use of plain style made her a neutral figure during the debates between elaborate and technical writings. This enabled her to become a noted figure during the transition between the Renaissance and the Enlightenment