Since the groundbreaking work of Zak? Mub?rak, La prose arabe au IVe siècle de l'hégire in 1931, scholars of Arabic literature have placed the historical emergence of high-style literary prose of the 3rd-4th/9th-10th centuries in the Eastern Islamic world, culminating in the works of belletrists such as the letters of al-???ib b. ?Abb?d (d. 385/995) and the maq?m?t of Bad?? al-Zam?n al-Hamadh?n? (d. 398/1008). Typified by a new reliance upon rhyme and rhythm (saj?), poetic imagery, and ornate rhetorical devices, the prose of this period differs markedly from the forms that preceded it. While this transformation is well-known, the particular contexts in which this change from less-adorned prose to more ornate stylistics emerged has not been explained adequately. Drawing on theories from the field of performance studies, this paper examines the use of rhymed prose, imagery and other stylistic devices in the d?w?n of letters of the litterateur, al-???ib b. ?Abb?d. Rather than attributing the emergence of ornate prose to diffuse social, linguistic, or political factors (i.e. the influence of Persian language, the increased professionalization of the bureaucracy, or literary decadence) or the personal preferences of the author, this paper argues that belletrists employed the stylistics of ornate prose in particular performance contexts. For example, rhymed prose is far more frequent and regular in letters of Ibn ?Abb?d that were intended to be read aloud to large audiences, and less common in the communiques between government officials. Examining the frequency and regularity of rhymed prose and other literary devices across a range of personal letters and those intended for recitation in public spaces, this paper examines the particular performance contexts in which the elements of fourth/tenth century high-style ornate prose emerged and asks broader questions about the religious and cultural values associated with particular acts of literary performance in Arabic.