Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1857 edition. Excerpt: ... lV. EPISTOLARY WRITING. Letter* lay open Duo's breeding, culture, taste, and abillty. -- Attorn Jl latter, timely writ, la a rivet to the chain of affection, -- r I.-- A QUESTION. OU purpose to write a letter. Why? Because you have something which it is necessary to communicate to an absent person, you would doubtless reply, were you at our elbow; for, if this were not the case, you would have no occasion to write. The question, however, is not an idle one, since persons do often write letters when they have really nothing to communicate. The result very naturally is, that they communicate nothing; but having something to say, you need only to be instructed how to say it. H.-- MATTEE AND MANNER If you have carefully read our remarks on Literary Composition in General, you are prepared to profit by the few additional hints we are about to offer. If you have not, you will do well to turn to the preceding chapter at once Letters should of course vary in style with the subjects on which they treat, and the circumstances under which they are written. Ease, grace, freedom, vivacity, sirnplicity, and naturalness, however, are important, if not essential, qualities, in every species of epistolary writing. Letter writing is talking on paper; -but we must talk on paper more carefully and elegantly than most of us are accustomed to talk with the voice. In common conversation, redundancies, ungrammatical constructions, and and inelegant expressions, if they do not pass unobserved and uncriticised, may at least be excused and soon forgotten; but in a letter they remain permanent witnesses against us. So, while laboring to cultivate a free, easy, and lively style, be careful to shun every approach to colloquial vulgarity. If spoken vulgarisms are bad, ..
