Eighteenth-century letters and British culture / Clare Brant.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brant, Clare, 1960-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English letters--History and criticism.

English letters.

Letter writing--18th century.

Letter writing.

Great Britain--Social life and customs--18th century.

Great Britain.

Manners and customs.

Great Britain--Civilization--18th century.

Civilization.

Physical Description:

x, 431 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillian, 2006.

Summary:

A major study of letter-writing in the eighteenth century, this book explores epistolary forms and practices in important areas of British culture. Who wrote letters? Who read letters? What were the conventions of letters and how were they understood? Each chapter explores these questions in relation to a series of characters, including men and women of letters, parents, lovers, criminals, citizens, travellers, historians and Christians. Bringing together a wide range of epistolary materials, both non-fictional and fictional, this original and important study gives an extensively researched understanding of the central place of letters in eighteenth-century writing, and a new way of looking at eighteenth-century life. The book will be of immense value to literary scholars and historians alike, and marks an important milestone in eighteenth-century studies.

Contents:

A Letter of Introduction 1

1 Learning to Write 33

2 Writing as a Parent 60

3 Writing as a Lover 93

4 Writing as a Criminal 125

5 Writing as a Citizen 169

6 Writing as a Traveller 213

7 Writing as a Historian 246

8 Writing as a Christian 281.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 337-417) and index.

ISBN:

140399482X

OCLC:

62302542

Online:

Publisher description