Creating a culture of letters. Introduction: the pen, the post, and the people -- Creating the letter: how to acquire epistolary literacy -- Sending the letter: the post office and the politics of the mail -- Creating a culture of literacy. Letters and literacy: farmers and workers in northern England -- Letters of the middling sort: confronting problems of business, religion, gender, and class -- From letters to literature. Letter-writing and the rise of the novel: the epistolary literacy of Jane Johnson and Samuel Richardson -- Letter-writing, reading, and literary culture: the Johnson family and Anna Miller -- Conclusion: letter-writing and eighteenth-century culture: findings, patterns, and impacts.
Summary:
Capturing actual dialogues of people discussing subjects as diverse as marriage, poverty, poetry, and the emotional lives of servants, 'The Pen and the People' will be enjoyed by everyone interested in history, literature, and the intimate experiences of ordinary people.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.