The Culture of Epistolarity: Vernacular Letters and Letter Writing in Early Modern England, 1500-1700

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University of Delaware Press, 2005 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 388 pages
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.
 

Contents

An Introduction to Early Modern Epistolarity
22
Epistolary Anxiety Politics Deception and the Workings of the Post
75
Affecting Correspondences Body Behavior and the Textualization of Emotion
109
Epistemologies of the Epistle Reportage Information Intelligence and the Sociology of the News
143
Letters and Print Culture I
183
Letters and Print Culture II
233
Conclusion
286
Notes
291
Select Bibliography
350
Index
365
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