Literature includes a wide range of written works, from Shakespeare's major works to the brain-draining poetry and prose of Dickinson, as well as spoken and written narratives. This is clearly different from ordinary language as it has some aesthetic characteristics to be considered as literary elements which include plot, figure of speech, setting and characterization. In this regard, an interesting point to analyze are letters which have a precious and fascinating genre on the periphery of literature. The fourth Earl of Chesterfield is a testimony that in his time his form of writing was as precious as gold. Lord Chesterfield's letter to his illegitimate son, Philip Stanhope, is a fascinating and didactic account of how the father imparts "life of the mind" material on his son during the most important stage of his life: pre-adolescence. The 400 letters written by Chesterfield on Stanhope are a collection of timeless sayings in which everyone can learn pearls of wisdom from language, geography, literature, good manners, among others. Chesterfield's rhetoric matters more than anything else in these personal letters addressed to his son. On 19 October 1748 in Bath, Lord Chesterfield wrote essays on the wisdom of courtesy to his son. The recipient is written on Philip Stanhope as "Dear Boy (Nordquist 2)." However, connotatively, the letter may refer to a particular reader and sometimes have a more detailed occasion in mind. The characterization employed in the reports is colloquial in the sense that Chesterfield is talking to Philip. However, there are lines where Chesterfield is doing a monologue where he shows some rhetoric in his life that could be helpful in Philips' effort to deal with life's challenges. The theme of the Letter...... in the center of the paper.... ..hey will be received as respectable admonitions. In short, it was this literary analysis that made Chesterfield useful to every class of young people and presented to them that education which they must have found among a mass of other subject matter. Works Cited Chesterfield, Philip Dormer and Lord Stanhope. The Letters of Lord Chesterfield. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Franklin, Colin. Lord Chesterfield: his character and his characters. Brookfield, Vt.: Ashgate,1993.Nordquist, Richard. “Letter to His Son: Rules of Conduct in Polite Company by Philip Stanhope.” About.com. 2014. Web. June 22, 2014..Shellabarger, Samuel. Lord Chesterfield and his world. 2d ed. Boston: Small, Brown, 1951. Tom, Jon Leon. The Pleasures of the Spectator: Joseph Addison and Public Culture. Illinois:ProQuest, 2008.