Introduction : Romanticism and the letter

Romanticism and the Letter seeks to redress the critical neglect of the letter in the Romantic period. Despite being an era of prolific letter writing, there has been no full-length study of letters written by the poets and other writers of the period, nor have letters attracted the sustained critical attention afforded to Romantic poetry, prose, and drama. This introduction discusses a series of important contextual matters relating to epistolary exchange, including the material and logistical culture of the letter, its importance for literary coteries, the writing of poetry into letters, gender constructions in letter writing, and epistolary conventions. It also briefly introduces each contributor’s chapter.