Wallis, C. orcid.org/0000-0002-8373-0134 (Accepted: 2024) Franks and friendship: eighteenth-century postal practices in the Mary Hamilton papers. Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies. ISSN 1754-0194 (In Press)
Abstract
Eighteenth-century postage was comparatively expensive, and usually paid for by a letter’s recipient, although Members of Parliament could post free of charge by adding their signature to the address (a ‘frank’). This privilege was intended only for MPs; nevertheless, franking fraud was widespread. This article uses evidence from letters in The Mary Hamilton Papers to explore how postage and franking aided correspondents’ politeness and identity work. It finds that Hamilton and her correspondents exploited their social networks to get free postage, and that ‘frank talk’ (discourse about obtaining and using franks) played an important role in promoting and maintaining friendships.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Editors: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies. |
Keywords: | correspondence; historical sociolinguistics; historical pragmatics; material culture; networks; politeness; postal system; sociability |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Sheffield) > School of English (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 09 Jan 2025 11:28 |
Last Modified: | 09 Jan 2025 11:28 |
Status: | In Press |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Refereed: | Yes |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:217056 |
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Filename: ch03_Wallis_Dec28_final version.docx
