Ars Dictaminis Perverted: The Personal Solicitation E-mail as a Genre
http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=F750VK5R78043626
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  peer-reviewed

Ross, Derek G.
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
2009

Abstract:

Phishing e-mails deceive individuals into giving out personal information which may then be utilized for identity theft. One particular type, the Personal Solicitation E-mail (PSE) mimics personal letters—modern perversions of ars dictaminis (the classical art of letter writing). In this article, I determine and discuss 19 appeals common to the PSE. These appeals were established first by conducting generative rhetorical analysis, then by volunteer coding, on 170 e-mails collected over a 12-month period. After defining these categories, I show how these letters are excellent twenty-first century teaching tools for pathos-based argumentation, logical appeals, the creation of ethos, and kairos in the development of perceived exigency.