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 extensively-researched understanding of the central place of letters in eighteenth-century writing, and a new way of looking at eighteenth-century life. The volume will be of immense value to literary scholars and historians alike, and marks an important milestone in eighteenth-century studies.
Winner of the 2008 ESSE Book Award in the field of Literatures in the English Language
'[The] study is not a mere exploration of epistolary forms, but a lively introduction into a fascinating epoch, with its specific manners and life-style. The author's argument is engaging, bold and forceful, and its scope is really impressive.' - ESSE Book Award Committee
Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2006
'Brant makes illuminating connections between the practice of letter-writing and the development of print journalism... Eighteenth-Century Letters and British Culture is a dense book full of brilliant insights. It distils an immense amount of reading and fully vindicates its assertion of the cultural significance of letters.' - Times Literary Supplement
'...Clare Brant has produced a magisterial study of letters, an important and ground-breaking work...The breadth of coverage in this book is impressive, encompassing many kinds of epistolary exchange and a pleasing mix of obscure and well-known writers.' - Emma Major, Modern Language Review
Acknowledgements
A Letter of Introduction
Learning to Write
Writing as a Parent
Writing as a Lover
Writing as a Criminal
Writing as a Citizen
Writing as a Traveller
Writing as a Historian
Writing as a Christian
Postscript
Notes
Short Bibliography
Index
CLARE BRANT is a Senior Lecturer in English at King's College London, UK. She has previously held posts at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. She has co-edited three essay collections and published numerous articles on eighteenth-century literature and culture.
Description
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 extensively-researched understanding of the central place of letters in eighteenth-century writing, and a new way of looking at eighteenth-century life. The volume will be of immense value to literary scholars and historians alike, and marks an important milestone in eighteenth-century studies.
Reviews
Winner of the 2008 ESSE Book Award in the field of Literatures in the English Language
'[The] study is not a mere exploration of epistolary forms, but a lively introduction into a fascinating epoch, with its specific manners and life-style. The author's argument is engaging, bold and forceful, and its scope is really impressive.' - ESSE Book Award Committee
Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2006
'Brant makes illuminating connections between the practice of letter-writing and the development of print journalism... Eighteenth-Century Letters and British Culture is a dense book full of brilliant insights. It distils an immense amount of reading and fully vindicates its assertion of the cultural significance of letters.' - Times Literary Supplement
'...Clare Brant has produced a magisterial study of letters, an important and ground-breaking work...The breadth of coverage in this book is impressive, encompassing many kinds of epistolary exchange and a pleasing mix of obscure and well-known writers.' - Emma Major, Modern Language Review
Contents
Acknowledgements
A Letter of Introduction
Learning to Write
Writing as a Parent
Writing as a Lover
Writing as a Criminal
Writing as a Citizen
Writing as a Traveller
Writing as a Historian
Writing as a Christian
Postscript
Notes
Short Bibliography
Index
Authors
CLARE BRANT is a Senior Lecturer in English at King's College London, UK. She has previously held posts at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. She has co-edited three essay collections and published numerous articles on eighteenth-century literature and culture.
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