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THROUGH THE MAIL - LETTER WRITING
- Petra Hadžidaova
- Nov 18, 2024
- 5 min read
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INTRODUCTION
On the bloody and sometimes cold frontlines in World War 1 and 2, among the most anticipated things happened to be the mail day. Each one of the weary soldiers was dying to hear good news from their loved ones. Words that kept them going and empowered them to keep hoping for a better tomorrow.
With beaten and battered hands they held up their letters, as they mustered up the strength to read what was written. In many an eye tears were seen welling up. The words of love were the fuel that these men needed. The words that reminded them of what they were fighting for.
Letters have played a major role in the lives of many not just soldiers. Many desires were sparked and put aflame in love letters, keeping families together despite being far apart. Then, of course, keeping memories of loved ones even after they are long gone.
But just what kind of a mark did they leave? Let us take a look throughout the ages at just how well letters fared.
HISTORY
Letter writing started in ancient India, Egypt, and Summer. It continued in Rome, ancient Greece, and ancient China. It has kept its place until today. (2)
In the ancient world, the first letters were written on different materials: metal, lead, wax-coated wooden tablets, pottery fragments, animal skin, and papyrus. (2)
Letters were a chief form of communication, actually for quite a while the only way, for people to communicate over longer distances. They hold a long and important part in the history of mankind. (2)
The golden era for letter-writing happened to be the 18th century. In this era, the epistolary novel became a hugely popular genre. It came from the format of letters. An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. (2)
KINDS OF LETTERS
Either way letter writing became a way of expressing oneself during this time. Besides conveying certain messages, instructions, and news and sending business correspondences, writers began to use letters, especially women, to express their views and intelligence. Women were given a voice for the first time and did not want to let it go. Rightfully so. Women's voices matter. (2)
There are different kinds of letters one can write:
Audio letter: an audio recording sent by postal mail to a recipient. It was common when charges for long-distance telephone services were higher and before the widespread use of the Internet.
Business letter: a letter from one company to another, or another type of organization and their customers, clients, or other external parties.
Cease and desist letter: a document sent by one party, often a business, as a warning to another party that they believe the other party is committing an unlawful act
Chain letter: a message attempting to convince the recipient to make a number of copies and pass them on to a certain number of recipients.
Cover letter: a letter of introduction attached to another document such as a résumé or a curriculum vitae.
Crossed letter: a manuscript letter that contains two separate sets of writing. One set of writing is written over the other at right angles.
Dear John letter: a letter written to a man by his wife or romantic partner to inform him that their relationship is over, usually because she found another lover.
Epistle: a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter.
Fan mail: mail sent to a public figure by his/her admirers or "fans".
Form letter: a letter written from a template, rather than being specially composed for a specific recipient.
Hate mail: a form of harassment. It usually consists of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient.
Hybrid mail: mail that is delivered using a combination of electronic and physical delivery.
Letter of credence: a formal diplomatic letter that designates a diplomat as ambassador to another sovereign state.
Letter of intent: a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties that is to be formalized in a legally binding agreement.
Letter of introduction: along with the visiting card, was an important part of polite social interaction in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Letter of marque: government license in the Age of Sail that authorized a private person, to attack and capture vessels of a nation at war with the issuer,
Letter of recommendation: a document in which the writer assesses the qualities, characteristics, and capabilities of the person being recommended in terms of that individual's ability to perform a particular task or function.
Letter of resignation: a letter written to announce the author's intent to leave a position currently held
Letter of thanks: a letter expressing appreciation to another.
Letter to the editor: a letter sent to a publication about an issue of concern to the reader.
Letters patent: a written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, granting an office, right, monopoly, title or status to a person or corporation.
Love letter: an expression of love in written form.
National Letter of Intent: a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) colleges and universities in the United States.
Open letter: a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but widely distributed intentionally.
Poison pen letter: a letter or note containing unpleasant, abusive, or malicious statements or accusations about the recipient or a third party.
Query letter: a formal letter proposing writing ideas to magazine editors, literary agents and sometimes publishing houses or companies.
Sales letter: a piece of direct mail which is designed to persuade the reader to purchase a particular product or service in the absence of a salesman or saleswoman (2)
POSTAL SERVICE - THE BOOM OF LETTERS
Postal services played a huge role in the rise of letter writing among the common folk. It was their duty to bring your letter to its final destination, which involved lots of different personnel. All were entrusted with their special role.
It started with horses and carriages, which gradually bikes began to replace. When automobiles and motorcycles were invented they became part of the postal service. It made transportation of larger parcels and also large quantities of posts easier. Cargo ships and eventually planes made shipping overseas available.
DIGITAL ERA
With the introduction of the telegraph, telephones, and eventually computers, the need for letters as a means of communication began to fall. Nowadays most communication is done through e-mails and text messages. News on the other hand spread mostly through social media.
Yet still, the letters hold a place in our hearts, and the postal service continues to hold an important part in society though now mostly through delivering parcels and all sorts of packages.
What does the future hold? With even greater innovations coming around the corner, just what will our society look like? And most importantly I can not shake off the image of obese men and women being entertained by electronic devices in the movie called Walle. Just where are we headed?
CONCLUSION
Among the many writing styles letter writing still holds its place. Though less common nowadays, letters have throughout the ages held immeasurable value. Used for transferring news, knowledge, commands, reporting events, and other functions, letters ended up leaving a mark even in a literary sense by introducing the epistolary novel. And not only that, but they gave women a voice for the first time. Nowadays they have been overridden by e-mais and other digital means of communication. Yet still they hold a special place in the hearts of many.
SOURCES
Image via canva.com.
Wikipedia. Letter (message). Accessed on 17.11.2024. Available on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_(message)
Until next!
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