Concetti Chiave
- The epistolary novel emerged in 18th-century Europe, initially gaining international acclaim with Montesquieu's "Lettres persanes".
- This genre encompasses a variety of themes, including tragic love stories like those by Goethe and Foscolo, and socially charged novels like those by Richardson.
- Epistolary novels exhibit technical diversity, distinguished by either a single or multiple points of view, depending on the number of correspondents.
- The editor plays a crucial role in presenting the letters as authentic, enhancing the narrative's realism and engagement with the audience.
- Epistolary novels serve dual purposes: offering authors a medium to explore societal views and providing a tool for in-depth psychological character analysis.
The Arrival of the Epistolary Novel
In the 18century the Epistulary novel arrived in Europe because long letters were considerated important for the comunication.
The first international succes is "Lettres persones",a philosophical novel by Montesquieu.
The epistolary novel shows in fact a variety of contents:
-novel based on unhappy love like Goethe and Foscolo's novel
-novel whit strong social tones like novel by Richardson
Technical Variety of the Epistolary Novel
The epistolary novel presents a great tecnical variety.We may distinguish between "a single-point-of-view" epistolary novel or "a composite-point-of-view" epistolary novel.(difference is in a one or more correspondents)
Also importanto is the role of EDITOR who pretends to have found the letters and presents them to the pubblic.
Samuel Richardson(1689-1761) was the first writer who drammatize letter-writing.He uses many devices for making his letters lively and intensly dramatic,as if they were written to the moment.Such is the dramatic, or melodramatic power of Richarson's novels that letters in them seem to have a life of their own:they are interrupted,idden,lost,found,stolen,given back,counterfeited.
The Dual Purpose of the Epistolary Novel
The epistolary novel served a dual purpose:
-On the one hand, writer found in letters the ideal for giving their view of man and society
-On the other hand, became the means of psichological analysis of characters.
(In this Richardson was the first acclaimed master and his lesson was soon followed by other European writers.
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the significance of the epistolary novel in 18th-century European literature?
- How does the technical variety of the epistolary novel enhance its storytelling?
- What dual purpose does the epistolary novel serve according to the text?
The epistolary novel became significant in 18th-century Europe as it utilized long letters, which were considered important for communication. It allowed writers to explore themes of unhappy love and social issues, as seen in works by Goethe, Foscolo, and Richardson.
The epistolary novel's technical variety includes "single-point-of-view" and "composite-point-of-view" formats, which involve one or more correspondents. The role of the editor, who pretends to have found the letters, adds authenticity. Samuel Richardson's use of dramatic devices makes the letters lively and intensively dramatic, enhancing the storytelling.
The epistolary novel serves a dual purpose by providing writers with a medium to express their views on man and society, while also allowing for psychological analysis of characters. Samuel Richardson was a pioneer in this approach, influencing other European writers.
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