
Letters
A Very Short Introduction
Jonathan Ellis(Author)
Oxford University Press
Will be published approx. on 28. January 2027
Book
Paperback/Softback
144 pages
978-0-19-883265-2 (ISBN)
Description
Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring
Letters are one of the oldest and most versatile forms of writing. Unlike other genres of writing, they consistently resist categorisation. A letter can be as short as a sentence or as long as a novel. It is both private and public, silly and serious.
Drawing on a range of examples from classical times to the present, from Cicero to Virginia Woolf and Greta Gerwig, this Very Short Introduction considers why human beings are drawn to exchanging feelings and ideas via letters and why we continue to be fascinated by them today. Individual chapters address authors that employ letters to talk to absent friends and authors that use letters to think aloud. Jonathan Ellis considers the importance of letter writing manuals, the essay as a type of epistolary writing, and the significance of various sub-genres, including the advice letter and the love letter. The book ends with a previously unpublished email on the continuing importance of letters by graphic novelist Alison Bechdel.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Letters are one of the oldest and most versatile forms of writing. Unlike other genres of writing, they consistently resist categorisation. A letter can be as short as a sentence or as long as a novel. It is both private and public, silly and serious.
Drawing on a range of examples from classical times to the present, from Cicero to Virginia Woolf and Greta Gerwig, this Very Short Introduction considers why human beings are drawn to exchanging feelings and ideas via letters and why we continue to be fascinated by them today. Individual chapters address authors that employ letters to talk to absent friends and authors that use letters to think aloud. Jonathan Ellis considers the importance of letter writing manuals, the essay as a type of epistolary writing, and the significance of various sub-genres, including the advice letter and the love letter. The book ends with a previously unpublished email on the continuing importance of letters by graphic novelist Alison Bechdel.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 174 mm
Width: 111 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-19-883265-2 (9780198832652)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Jonathan Ellis is a Reader in American Literature at the University of Sheffield. He is the author, editor, and co-editor of several books on Elizabeth Bishop, including Letter Writing Among Poets (2015) and Elizabeth Bishop in Context (2021).
Author
Reader in American LiteratureReader in American Literature, University of Sheffield
Content
1: Talking (to you) 2: Thinking (alone and with others) 3: Seeing (what is not there) 4: Loving (who is not present) 5: Last Letters