The boundaries between ‘artistic’ and 'real’ letters were fluid… The lines of demarcation between artistic and utilitarian literature were less strictly drawn than they are today. Even when writing utilitarian texts, classical authors strove for beauty of style,and in Roman eyes usefulness was not a drawback even for belles lettres.

von Albrecht, Michael. History of Latin Literature. Leiden:Brill, 1997. p. 1