I'm in the early stages of my research for a subject that I have yet to decide whether it will be fiction or non-fiction. I want to combine the world my hero lived in, that is, 1800 to 1850, England and Australia, along with his story of exploration and scientific research.

Last week I was listening to Melvyn Bragg on the Radio 4 Podcast of "In Our Time", and the panel was discussing how in the late 18th century people wrote letters to each other with great dedication and in some cases, they intended those letters to form a part of a collection. They were like journals.

Then it "hit" me. I could write my book pretending it was a series of letters to and from England and Australia. Now, I guess, to some, reading this idea, it is not a revelation. However, I've never read a book using the "letter writing" technique although I know it exists.

I'm hoping that someone at WriteWords could suggest a book written that used the "letter writing" technique. Not so much in a domestic situation, more a book covering the arts, politics, ideas, science and history, surrounding the characters writing to each other, in the early 19th century.

I look forward to your suggestions.
Di2

Some of the great classics of that period use letter writing techniques in their novels. For the life of me, I can't remember any of the names right now - Richardson?? similar? - as it's way too early, but you should easily be able to research that. Also, don't forget the Bridget Jones diary technique (on a more modern level!) and, also, Shriver's recent mega-hit, "We need to talk about Kevin".

But arts and politics etc? There are zillions of genuine letters, but I can't recall a novel on this ... that may be my brain again!!

A
xxx

Golding's Rites of Passage is structured around letters written as a form of journal, by the main narrator to his godfather who sponsored his trip to Australia. c. 1820, I think. Brilliant book worth reading whatever, too.

In some epistolary novels the letters are just a frame for the narrative - I wonder if in the early days of the novel it was easier to get readers to accept the fiction in this form? But Les Liaisons Dangereuses is the perfect example of the epistolary novel, because every letter is part of the plot - a product of someone wanting to make something happen, and when it reaches the recipient something (sometimes something else) does happen, which gives rise to the next letter, and so on. Much harder to do, but much more fascinating and convincing. The letters in Possession are brilliant pastiche Browning - discussing everything under the sun.

For real examples, biographies of the famous names of the date should have letters in them - as you say, they all wrote to each other endlessly - and old-fashioned libraries ought to have the collected letters of Ruskin or Tennyson or George Eliot, or dare I say it, Darwin. Leigh Hunt might be worth a try - he knew everyone, or Dickens or Browning?

Sounds like an interesting idea, anyway. Good luck with it.

Emma

Diane,

I know some of the classics used this tecnique, and I have actually read a few, but which ones has escaped me.

I actually think this is a brill idea, a series of letters from one character to another, Australia to England, sounds fascinating. There is a lot of scope for you, the writer to allow the characters personalities to really come through in their letters, enabling the reader to use their imagination.

Why don't you pop into your local library or friendly bookshop and ask them for any books written in this style - they're sure to have some.

Good luck
Kat

Di2

Emma's right, Rites of Passage is a terrific read, a real entertainment filled with Golding's wicked humour. The character's voice whose journal the book is ends up becoming the narrator's voice in effect, and as a reader I forgot most of the time that it was in this journal form, inevitable I think. But what the journal form does, and I imagine the letter form too, is give the author a position from which to satiricise his scribbling character, or at least present things through the prism of what in effect is an unreliable narrator, in a humourous or tragi-comic way. Look forward to seeing your first chapter(or is that letter?)posted! Good luck.

Pete

Samuel Richardson is your man. Wrote Pamela in 1740 and Clarissa in 1746. Pamela is a beter place to start -- Clarissa is a monumentally weighty tome. Also have a look at Bram Stoker's Dracula, which is written using letters and diary excerpts.

Michael

84 Charing Cross Road is a long exchange of letters between a reader in America, and a bookshop in London – Charing Cross Road, in fact.

Dee

Isn't Evelina epistolary? I notice she gets called Frances Burney, this days, not Fanny.

Emma

Emma, Yes Evenlina is epistolary. And Di there's Jane Austen's 'Lady Susan' though I don't recall it dealing with arts, politics etc. For early 19th century you might look at Byron's journals and letters - full of contemporary life, including books and painting I think. Keats' letters too perhaps.

Some epistolary novels blur the boundary between letter and journal. You might consider that if it suits your story - it gives extra flexibility. I have a very vague memory of a book in which the characters wrote journals which they sent to each other - another variation on the theme. Can't remember what it was I'm afraid.

Naomi

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Some scientists kept journals. Faraday did and he's the right period for you though I don't know anything about the journals.

Just a thought. If your story depends on the letter writers receiving and answering each other's letters you'll have to consider how long it took for letters to travel between England and Australia in your period.

you'll have to consider how long it took for letters to travel between England and Australia in your period.

You have to work it out, but of course then there's scope for all sorts of plotting where a letter didn't get there in time, or not at all, or letters cross, and so on. Particularly when it not only took ages, but could be very variable how many ages. TMOL has letters written in the earlier time, and they're also read in the later time, so I had fun controlling who of regency people in different places, of 70s people, and of readers, knew what when.

Never mind the growth of the publishing conglomerates, one of the worst things that's happened to novelists in the last few years is the total ubiquity of the mobile. There's only so many times you can make batteries go flat or signals disappear to keep your plot motoring.

Emma

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hmmm: 'so I had fun controlling who of regency people in different places, of 70s people, and of readers, knew what when.'

Think I should have tried to control that sentence.

Pamela is a beter place to start -- Clarissa is a monumentally weighty tome.

Yes, unlike Pamela, which is just monumentally boring Honestly, I've rarely taken such a vehement dislike to a book, especially to an 18th-century novel, from which you'd rarely expect conciseness anyway. I actually found Pamela herself very sympathetic, but no sympathy can sustain so much waffle (and such an insufferable slimeball of a 'hero'. The only thing I can think of in its favour is that you get to read Shamela afterwards.

I'd also recommend Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's Turkish Embassy Letters to Di -- the era is obviously wrong (early 18th c.) but they're an excellent example of bringing politics, history, ideas, places, etc. to life in letter form.

Thank you so much everyone, you've all been very helpful.

I've printed off all the comments for my research file. I've read Possession and 84 Charring Cross and forgotten about the letter writing that went on in those stories. I shall re-visit them along with checking out your other suggestions.

My hero wrote a journal (volumous writings), however, he was a scientist and a very private person so he doesn't give much of himself away. He talks about the plants he found and describes them with the plant names and micro detail of the shape of the leaves and flowers. When there is a drama while exploring the Australian bush he describes it in very passionless prose. However, I believe he was a "good guy" and worth the effort to find the passion in his life. I'll just have to imagine how it felt once I understand who he was and who his freinds were.

The time lag thing, as mentioned a your comments, is definitely something I will have to figure out. It's not like a telephone call is it.

Thanks again, I'll go away now and contemplate.

Best wishes to everyone, Di2

Yes! Thanks, Michael - it was really bugging me, not being able to remember those novels!!

)

A
xxx

lots of smollet is epistolory, eg 'Humphrey Clinker".

the famous one I can think of is les liaisons dangereuses. Personally I think it often feels quite clunky as a technique, and if you have more than two correspondends it can be confusing.