Monday, September 22, 2014

I COULD ONLY REMEMBER THE ODDITIES

I SAW this beautiful painting on a board, and I thought to write about the love letter in literature!

Of course, the subject is too wide, and a whole library shelf could be filled with love letter anthologies, from fiction or real life! 

Not all love letters are lovely, however. In fact, when I sat down to try and list some fictional love letters, I could only remember the oddities! For example, Mr Darcy's inflated love confession and marriage proposal in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and the ambivalent love letters in Secret Engagement (Μυστικοί Αρραβώνες), a Greek novel by 19th century Greek author Gregorios Xenopoulos (Γρηγόριος Ξενόπουλος). Also, Dorian Gray's unusual love letter to his fiancee in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The letter is unusual because Dorian doesn't know the fiancee is already dead. Dorian had broken up with her, she killed herself, while Dorian writes to make amends.

Not too pleasant, I must admit.

Having said that, there are good examples that come to mind too. Christian and Ana write amazing emails to each other in the Fifty Shades trilogy!

When it comes to real life letters from poets or writers, among the most beautiful are John Keats's love letters to his fiancee Fanny Browne. I have a weakness for John Keats, this is true; yet, more objective authorities than I am consider that his letters are, in general, among the finest letters ever written.

Also, I have to add this. Probably the best fictional love letter I have ever read is from one man to another, in David Mitchell's lovely book Cloud Atlas. 

Cloud Atlas is a long novel, written in complicated prose. However, I highly recommend it!

Have a good evening, always with beauty and a book! xxx

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