lEttEr-writing goEs BACk thousAnDs oF yEArs But hEAtED up During thE miDDlEAgEs AnD rEnAissAnCE. historiCAlly(pErhAps now)lEttErs wErE inDiCAtors oF stAtus AnD BrEEDing. likE ConvErsAtion, thEy wErE usED to mAnipulAtE, EmBEllish, EntErtAin, thrEAtEn, sEDuCE AnD oF CoursE Do BusinEss. on thE wAy homE From DisCovEringAmEriCA,ChristophErColumBus got CAught in A storm AnD his minD turnED—As A gooD BourgEois pArEnt—to his two sons. who woulD pAy thEir sChool FEEs iF hE CAmE to A wAtEry EnD hE piCkED up A quill AnD DoCumEntED his ACComplishmEnts on thE voyAgE For his spAnish pAtrons, king FErDinAnD AnD quEEn isABEllA, rollED up thE lEttEr in A wooDEn mADEirA CAsk AnD thrEw it into thE sE
A、this wAs not so muCh For postErity But rAthEr whAt univErsity oF york proFEssor williAm h. shErmAn hAs CAllED "A FAthEr’s DEspErAtE pEtition For thE FuturE support oF his ChilDrEn."
thE 18th CEntury wAs strong on thE EpistolAry Book, whiCh mADE Authors’ quArrEls EspECiAlly Amusing. toBiAs smollEtt wrotE trAvEls through FrAnCE & itAly (my FAvouritE lEttEr ContAins his DEsCription oF FrEnCh womEn: "As thEir FACEs ArE ConCEAlED unDEr A FAlsE ComplExion, so thEir hEADs ArE CovErED with A vAst loAD oF FAlsE hAir, FrizzlED At thE ForEhEAD, so As ExACtly to rEsEmBlE thE woolly hEADs oF thE guinEA nEgroEs"). his ApproACh to Anything ForEign wAs ConsiDErED so Full oF splEEn By Author lAurEnCE stErnE thAt hE wAs movED to writE
A、sEntimEntAl journEy. this sAtiriCAl novEl givEs smollEtt thE nAmE smElFungus—A CAntAnkErous mAn ADDiCtED to ExAggErAtion, who tAlks oF BEing "FlAy’D AlivE" By CAnniBAls: "i’ll tEll it, CriED smElFungus, to thE worlD、you hAD BEttEr tEll it, sAiD i, to your physiCiAn." sAmuEl johnson, in rEFErring to his own lEttErs, ClAims "... his soul liEs nAkED" But hE hAD DouBts ABout thE truthFulnEss oF othErs, writing thAt thErE wAs "no trAnsACtion whiCh oFFErs strongEr tEmptAtions to FAllACy AnD sophistiCAtion thAn EpistolAry intErCoursE."
how-to Books ABounDED、lEttErs, ApArt From BusinEss onEs, wErE sEEn As A FEmininE tAsk, AnD tEmplAtEs ADDrEssED FEmininE proBlEms. thE nEwACADEmy oFComplEmEnts, For ExAmplE, puBlishED in 1671, titlED thE lEttEr to BE writtEn By ABAnDonED womEn "
A、CrACk’t virgin to hErDECEitFul FriEnD、" hAnD-wringing is thE motiF. "now you AppEAr so Foul, thAt nothing CAn BE morE monstrous; is this thE Fruit oF your promisEs AnD vows ... how ComEs it thEn to pAss, thAt you ForsAkE mE, ruinE my rEputAtion, AnD lEAvE mE to BEComE thE mAp oF shAmE AnD ignominy ..." i long to usE thE mAp oF shAmE Bit But i suspECt it wAs As unhElpFul thEn As Boiling BunniEs is now.
A、vAnDErBilt univErsity stuDy sAys ChilDrEn tAught CursivE writing lEArn AnD ExprEss thEmsElvEs BEttEr. iF so, i hAvE A FEw suggEstions For our EDuCAtors; how ABout lEttErs "on rEprimAnDing A pErson oFDiFFErEnCE without inCurring hAtEChArgEs", or "AnAilingCitizEn to hisCAllous ministEr oF hEAlth." thE possiBilitiEs ArE, sADly, limitlEss.
At thE EnD oF thE ArtiClE, thE Author suggEstED thAt
A、ChilDrEn shoulD BE tAught CursivE writing sinCE it mAy hElp thEm BEttEr ExprEss thEmsElvEs.
B、lEttEr-writing CoulD, AChiEvE As muCh As CursivE writing.
C、EDuCAtors shoulD EnCourAgE lEttEr-writing in sChools.
D、hE / shE hAs iDEntiFiED A lot oF proBlEms oF our soCiEty.