Conventional correspondence : epistolary culture of the Dutch elite, 1770-1850 / / by Willemijn Ruberg ; translated by Maria Sherwood-Smith.

• Superior document: Egodocuments and history series, v. 4
• Author: Ruberg, Willemijn, 1975-
• Year of Publication: 2011
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Egodocuments and history series ; v. 4.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (289 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

Egodocuments are cherished because of the view they supposedly provide into the innermost feelings of individuals in past and present. Recent research, however, has shown the complexity of genres like autobiographies, diaries and letters. Building on critical and historical research into autobiographical writing, this book describes epistolary practices of the Dutch elite in the period 1770-1850. Analysing how cultural ideals of sincerity, individuality and naturalness influenced the style and contents of letters, the book also addresses the functions of letter writing in family life, like the formation of an adolescent identity and the relationship between parents and children. Correspondence was a vital means by which class and gender identities were performed and the appropriate emotions were shaped.

Table of Contents

Preliminary material -- INTRODUCTION -- EPISTOLARY THEORY -- EVERYDAY CORRESPONDENCE -- CHILDREN’S LETTERS -- ADOLESCENTS’ LETTERS -- CEREMONIAL CORRESPONDENCE -- CONCLUSION -- APPENDIX -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- INDEX.