letters and engagements
Posted by Emelye on June 19, 1998 at 07:55:20:
In response to Further info..., written by Lou on June 13, 1998 at 13:03:44
] I would imagine in a long distance relationship that he would solicit her feelings initially by letter, then once he was assured of her good opinion (and she would return his letter telling him that her parents would most likely consent), that he would contact her parents in the same manner. There were no samples of such letters 'asking permission' in the book.
However, I was under the impression that a single gentleman was not to write to a single lady if they were not engaged; i.e. that the letter soliciting her hand would be the first one that he would write to her. Isn't there some discussion about Marianne writing to Willoughby in S&S, because it was thought they were engaged and it turned out that they weren't? I seem to recall reading somewhere that gentleman would write to the lady's father enclosing a letter which he could then read to ensure that nothing untoward was being said. I know that this is much earlier, but in Dangerous Liasons, Valmont carries the letters between the Chevalier and Cecile Velanges, even though there was a perfectly good postal system.
Posting followups to old messages is disabled; instead go to the main index and post a new message which mentions this one.
