LETTERS - GOOD AND OTHERWISE
I wonder what Emily Post, Amy Vanderbilt any of the other manner-minded authorities of the past would say if they were plumped down ,without warning, into today's social events swirl?
I don't think they would be too much disturbed. We haven't changed that much and I find we still do a great many “polite things” we have always done. That which we continue to do wrong, and even try to do more - is largely in the area of trying to attract attention to ourselves as individuals or groups.
Everything we do today is far more visible that it used to be. Our means of communicating with each other has increased many times over and that which used to be considered to be private is now semi-public,or, at least, shared among more persons. The use of cellular phones and of the Internet's ability to send short sentiments swirling around the Earth in seconds - has modified letter writing to the point that it would not be recognized as being authentic by Emily, Amy or any such persons who made a good living writing book about the proper way of best composing a letter for whatever purpose. I do not think they would be dramatically opposed to much that in the mode right now. After all, in many ways, when you stop to think about their stance, it is obvious that they were, at that time, really the avant-garde in teaching radically new and different and improved ways of writing.
I can remember the type of letter writing which preceded their new method of how a proper letter should be writing, for whatever purpose, and there was nothing more deadly as to creativity and to the expansion of communicative potential.
Prior to the '30's, when their ideas were set forth in the our newspapers, magazines and books, and books, letters of all types -so-called “business” letter or others were a terror to receive. They favored letter writing which met a need rather than that which filled obligations to rules and which were often used as missiles in a combat showing off who had the most training in a formal school sense. The new concept was disturbing to many schooled in the old ways but the reformers proved to be amazingly alert to what people wanted. I have a strong feeling they would accept our view of the needs we face today to letter writing.
In truth, the art had almost disappeared.
But, it is back again. Much attention is being paid to the kids making use of so-called instant Messaging” on the computers. It attracts not only children but adults as well and they soon tire of the terse will exchanges of cryptic messages back and forth in staccato silliness; they try to something with more body. You will find instant writers are now writing longer messages to a few select associates. Furthermore, the computer provides instant access and more letters are being written than would have been done under the old methods. A half page of text exchanged several items weekly is far better that the long, two-pager we used to write once every month or two.
Style suffers, I must admit, and in that respect our panel of used authorities - Post and Vanderbilt - would be disturbed by the lack of style, by limited vocabulary, dependency, by some, on slang and abbreviations beyond comprehension. Emily Post, as I recall, came along early in the era and she was fading out, becoming a bit over worn, perhaps, when newcomer Amy Vanderbilt was gaining attentions in the magazines and on radio. The two of them covered a large number of years and they did so at a time when our language was undergoing shifts and changes at a fantastic rate.
Letter writing is reviving with the increased use of the personal computer, cell phone and other such gadgets which are in a phase of proliferation without precedent.
A.L.M. September 21, 2004 [c670wds]
