“I am writing to you”, or epistolary genre

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Epistolary communication of people, that is, the exchange of letters, has existed for more than a thousand years. Needing to communicate with loved ones living far away, people wrote letters, first on parchment or papyrus, then on paper. The formation of correspondence began in the sixteenth century, but such communication became especially popular in the nineteenth century, when each country acquired a postal service. People started

exchange lengthy messages detailing their thoughts and feelings. From these messages came the epistolary genre, named after the Greek word "epistole" - "letter".

The genre of the work in letters is very peculiar and differs significantly from other literary genres and styles. Any epistolary work is based, first of all, on the personal experience, feelings and experiences of the author. Not only the content of the letters is specificnovel, but also its form. The epistolary style is easy to recognize by its characteristic features. Almost always, the narration in such novels is on behalf of the author, the plot is presented consistently and concisely, and includes detailed conclusions. The format of this story is also special. It is not divided into chapters, but into letters. Each letter begins with a date and address to the addressee, and ends with farewell words. The novel-correspondence is distinguished by a special, authorial style. All addresses to the addressee are capitalized, and the greeting or farewell phrase ends in

an exclamation mark or a dot, depending on the attitude of the author to his addressee. The general syntax of the letters also matches the personality of the author.

Usually, each part of an epistolary work is a monologue of the author addressed to the interlocutor, however, some monologues are sometimes diluted and enlivened by dialogues heard and retold by the author. The content of letters can be both professional and purely everyday. The epistolary genre has become a source of phrases and syntactic constructions called epistolaryisms. If you look closely at the epistolary work, you can find the beginnings of many other literary styles in it.

The works of the epistolary genre include not only novels composed of correspondence. Any work written in the form of a message belongs to this style. This can include, for example, autobiographies, diaries and memoirs, which also differ in copyrightstyle.

In Russia, the epistolary genre also originated in the sixteenth century. The first such work is considered to be the correspondence between Ivan IV the Terrible and Prince Kurbsky. This genre was not neglected by many classics of our literature. And Karamzin, and Pushkin, and Dostoevsky were the authors of works in the epistolary style. Thus, Karamzin wrote Letters from a Russian Traveler while traveling in Germany. The work, to which the Russian historian gave the form of letters to friends, not only describes European life, but also lays the foundation for a new literary style - sentimentalism. Loved this genre and Pushkin. For example, "The Captain's Daughter" is written in the form of one large letter. From the correspondence of Varenka Dobroselova and Makar Devushkin, the novel "Poor People" written by Dostoevsky also consists. The epistolary genre, represented by great writers, has become one of the "pillars" of Russian literature.