Epistolary novels--Letters become Stories

In my recent e-zine about cellphones, I complained that electronic devices seem to be dictating the pace and plot of too many contemporary films and books-speeding up the action to the point of ruining the suspense. Slowly developing plots seem to be doomed by the constant availability of connection. After viewing a BBC production of that Russian tome "Anna Karenina", I was reminded of this rant because Tolstoy has the twists and turns of the story proceed at a snail's pace. Communication, when not face-to-face, was entirely in written correspondence, letters and notes being the primary means of connecting over distances among the educated classes in the nineteeth century.

So, I decided to look into stories written either partially, or totally, in letter form, the so-called "epistolary"novels. Historically, it became popular as a genre in the eighteenth century in the much-read books of Samuel Richardson, Montesquieu, Rousseau, and even Goethe.

The form declined in popularity gradually, but traces of the use of writing to forward the plot may be seen in such well-known mysteries as Wilkie Collins' "The Moonstone". Published originally in 1868, readers were intrigued by one character's writing used to preserve his family's reputation. In a less-well known work, with a clever title, Kathrine Tayor uses the postal designation "Address Unknown" to provide the plot with the information that a letter could not be delivered, and thus the fact that a character had disappeared or died.

An extraordinarily popular epistolary novel, published in the 1940's, was C.S. Lewis' "Screwtape Letters". Known world-wide as a theologian and author of the Narnia tales, the author uses humor to teach theological lessons about the moral compass which determines human behavior. The book is a collection of letters, supposedly written by a senior devil, Screwtape, to his nephew, Wormwood. His instructions to him regarding how to lure good people into sinning are psychological gold. Humans never change. His advice about romance: "Let them think they have solved by Love problems they have only postponed under the influence of the enchantment. While it lasts you have your chance to foment the problems in secret and render them chronic."

Elizabeth Hailey's "A Woman of Independent Means", 1978, was a lighter epistolary work, equally as popular and having a rich moral base, too. Beginning at the turn of the twentieth century, the reader has the opportunity to dip into the correspondence of a woman who learns to express who she really is, in spite of the pressures to conform during her lifetime. We share her joys and sorrows, watching her grow into a radiant human being.

These books are all worthy predecessors to two fabulous reads which have a lot in common. Word-of-mouth has propelled "The Guernsey Potato Peel and Literary Society" to the top of many lists. Its authors, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, share a lot with Helene Hanff, author of "84, Charing Cross Road". Both use letters to describe life in England, or the Channel Islands, during World War II. As we get to know the civilian population, we share in their deprivations and fears. We also realize how clever they are in finding ways to survive in times of unendurable crisis and worry.

The letters are obviously fictitious, but because they have such a personal form and tone, we immediately become involved with, and attached to, the characters. We feel like we're participating in the events along with them. What a rich storehouse of life experience!

Now for my concerns. Where are the letters going to come from for the next few generations? Everyone communicates by means of : email, cell phone, or twitter-all of which disappear. Family archives will have plenty of digital pictures, I suspect, but little verbal communication. What about the treasures of love letters or little thoughtful notes that paint a detailed picture of the older (which keeps changing) generation? If they never existed in hard copy, we'll never know what was thought or said. Computerized family trees are all the rage, but we'll be missing all the little pieces in between the big events of birth, marriage, death, etc. Too late we may realize that those tiny mosaic-like pieces may be where the real heart of the family lies......