On Writing Letters

[zingerella]

A friend and dance-mistress just sent me the text of the following Dear John exemplar letter:

From a Young Lady to a Gentleman that courted her whom she could not esteem, but was forced by her Parents to receive his visits, and think on none else for her Husband.Sir--It is an exceedingly ill return that I make the respect you have for me, when I

Comments

[ellarien]

That's delightful, when considered as comedy of manners -- probably less delightful to live through, if it was real.

[zingerella]

Yeah.

The line "Consider, Sir, the misery of bestowing yourself upon one who can have no prospect of happiness but from your death." makes my stomach knot up. If the writer did indeed ever really pen those lines, to do so must have taken a great deal of both courage and desperation.

[ellarien]

I seem to spend a lot of time these days being thankful that I was born too late to get into that kind of situation.

[onceupon]

Oh, that is wonderful.

Oh no she di'int!

[human_loser]

Oh, SNAP!

Ow. OW!

Sorry, I know I already did that joke in email, but I wanted it here for posterity.

[poldy]

Ha. You are not getting off that easy. I am going to marry you anyway, whether you like it or not.