"I'm writing to you," or epistolary genre
Epistolary communication of people, that is exchangeletters, there are more than a thousand years. Needing to communicate with loved ones living far away, people wrote letters, first on parchment or papyrus, then on paper. Formation of correspondence began in the sixteenth century, but this communication became especially popular in the nineteenth century, when each country acquired a postal service. People started
The genre of the work in the letters is very peculiar andis significantly different from other literary genres and styles. Any epistolary work is based, first of all, on the personal experience, feelings and experiences of the author. Specifically, not only the content of the novel composed of letters, but also its form. Epistolary style is easy to recognize by its characteristic features only. Almost always the narrative in such novels goes on behalf of the author, the story is presented consistently and concisely and includes detailed conclusions. The design of this narrative is also special. It is divided not into chapters, but into letters. Each letter begins with the date and address to the addressee, and ends with farewell words. Roman-correspondence is distinguished by a special, author's style. All addresses to the addressee are written with a capital letter, and the welcome or farewell phrase ends in
Usually every part of the epistolary workis a monologue of the author, addressed to the interlocutor, however some monologues are sometimes diluted and animated by dialogues heard and retold by the author. The content of letters can be both professional and purely domestic. Epistolary genre has become a source of word combinations and syntactic constructions, called epistolarisms. If you carefully consider the epistolary work, you can find in it the rudiments of many other literary styles.
The works of the epistolary genre are notOnly novels made up of correspondence. To this style belongs any work written in the form of a message. This includes, for example, autobiographies, diaries and memoirs, which also differ in author's style.
In Russia the epistolary genre also originated inthe sixteenth century. The first such work is the correspondence of Ivan IV the Terrible and Prince Kurbsky. This genre was not neglected by many of the classics of our literature. And Karamzin, and Pushkin, and Dostoevsky were the authors of works in the epistolary style. So, "Letters of the Russian traveler" Karamzin wrote, traveling in Germany. In the work to which the Russian historian shaped the letters to his friends, not only describes the European life, but also laid the foundation of a new literary style - sentimentalism. Pushkin loved this genre too. For example, "The Captain's Daughter" is written in the form of one large letter. From the correspondence of Varenka Dobroselova and Makar Devushkin there is also the novel Poor People written by Dostoevsky. Epistolary genre, represented by great writers, became one of the "pillars" of Russian literature.
