The Culture Of Epistolarity: Vernacular Letters And Letter Writing In Early Modern England, 1500-1700

by Gary Schneider

This book is an extensive investigation of letters and letter writing across two centuries, focusing on the sociocultural function and meaning of epistolary writing - letters that were circulated, were intended to circulate, or were perceived to circulate within the culture of epistolarity in early modern England. The study examines how the letter functioned in a variety of social contexts, yet also assesses what the letter meant as idea to early modern letter writers, investigating letters in both manuscript and print contexts. It begins with an overview of the culture of epistolarity, examines the material components of letter exchange, investigates how emotion was persuasively textualized in the letter, considers the transmission of news and intelligence, and examines the publication of letters as propaganda and as collections of moral-didactic, personal, and state letters. Gary Schneider is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the University of Texas-Pan American.

388 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schneider re-opens the issue of early modern letters in this book by placing them in New Historicist terms i.e. reading them as 'sociotexts' which participate in social and cultural forms of communication.

He is particularly good on the unintentional circulation of letters which might, in this period, be written, read or even edited by third (or fourth) parties on their journey between initial author and intended reader; and on the way in which letters actively construct an intended or implied reader.

The relationship between letters, ideas of absence and presence, and materiality is put to productive work, especially in terms of the deceptive potential always implicit in letters as they deny the reader physical cues to interpret the voice of the writer.

So some interesting ideas here, and good read in conjuction with Lehrer's Courtly Letters in the Age of Henry VIII: Literary Culture and the Arts of Deceit.