Can "Eloquence" refer to the written word?

Factual Questions
1

Hey
I’m working on a lyric in which a speaker’s style is compared to a writer’s style.

I’m frustrated as that it seems that adjectives that describe speech are generally, by definition, applied to speech- whereas, adjectives that describe writing are generally, by definition, applied to writing.

So far, “eloquence” is the best I can come up with:
(Bob being an orator, Sam being a writer)
Bob had an eloquence to rival even Sam.

Dictionary.com’s first definition of “Eloquence”

So, it seems I’m o.k. using “eloquence” for both speech and writing, however . . .

. . . Dictionary.com’s second definition of “Eloquence”

now, “discourse” implies speech.

So, it seems it is acceptable to use “eloquence” to describe writing, but it feels a little off to me. This is the case one way or another for every word I’ve been able to come up with. Looking up synonyms, words that apply perfectly to writing seem “off” when applied to speech, while words that apply perfectly to speech seem “off” when applied to writing.

What say Dopers?
Can I use the word eloquence for both speech and writing?
If not, what is the perfect word I am looking for? What is a synonym for eloquence that I can apply to both speech and writing?

2

Persuasivness?

3

Perhaps lyricism?

According to my Concise Oxford, it has elements of both song and poetry which would cover your verbal and written elements. But really, I see nothing at all wrong with your usage of eloquence in that situation.

4

The OED says:

So writing can clearly be called “eloquent.” Trying to apply it only to spoken word is an overnicety on the level of saying “you can’t orient yourself toward the west.”

And, the word was applied to a novel in one of my favorite critical putdowns:

5

Thanks for the feedback so far.
Seems like I’m o.k. to use “eloquence”, although further Doper scrutiny is welcome.
This is one of those mot just things that I sometimes spend days on.

6

I have no problem attributing eloquence to the written word. Read the Gettysburg Address; it’s eloquent, whether written or spoken.

7

I’ll probably end up using it.
If this post, as a bump, brings out some of the SDMB hard-core logophiles who want to weigh in, I’ll will be happy for the scrutiny and will proceed with more confidence. As it is, however, my confidence level is stronger than when I started the Thread.
Thanks!

8

I agree that it’s equally fine to say that a speech or a written tract is “eloquent”, and that it means much the same thing in both cases. What’s not quite clear to me is whether it’s acceptable to describe a person having “eloquence” because of their writing. In other words, if you told me “Jessica is eloquent”, then without further context I’d assume you were referring to her speaking skills; to say that she writes well, you’d have to say “Jessica’s writing is eloquent”.

You know that feeling you get when you repeat a word often enough that it doesn’t seem like a word any more?

9

I have heard the term “Belletristic” applied to well-crafted writing. I may have mis-spelled it, though.

10

A Google search on the phrase “eloquent prose” returns over 24,000 hits.

11

Roget’s Thesaurus, Eloquence - oratory, rhetoric, power, fluency, persuasiveness, volubility.

Fluency might be a good substitute. It has the connotation of expert and eloquent use of language.