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October 11, 2007
I'd rather mingle souls by letter than live a life of regret through email
In a recent article published in the UK Guardian, journalist Simon Jenkins ruminates on the 25th anniversary of the emoticon, the nature of email correspondence, and the importance of old-fashioned letter-writing. Jenkins contends there are nary an email whose sentences are carefully thought over, rarely a perfect sentence. He argues, "send is always pressed to soon," and mourns the day of emoticon-free correspondence, that which used the dictionary and pen as tools, a sheet of paper and the time invested into the letter to convey meaning.
Jenkins writes:
"I have seldom sent a personal email or text message which I have not afterwards, in some degree, regretted. The old-fashioned pen slowed the transition from natural spoken word (and intended meaning) to unnatural script. It gave time for consideration, as did the manual typewriter. Writing involved effort. A word was pondered before being put to paper, packaged and sent through the post. I remember the ancient sandbox calligraphers in Chen Kaige's film, The Emperor and the Assassin, and became more careful when I handwrote anything. There was poetry as well as prose in those glorious characters. We should treat letters and words with respect."
...and then asks, "Why is email so lacking in feeling and nuance as to require its own additional alphabet? How much sincerity really is conveyed by?"
We ask you, the reader: Is Jenkins' view old-fashioned? Or isthere a disintegration in the value of the email vs. hand-written communication. We here at MLP do love our letters, the tactility of quill (or pen) and ink, the smudge of a runny pen. We love hunting down good paper, good pens, getting that new address in our email boxes, but ay, there's the rub. Email is essential to our project, how we run our daily lives, and we love that it's an effective tool for communication. For that, while we're partial to our pens and papers, every so often we're happy to take a look and see a message from an old friend in our inbox.
Comments (1) | | LinkCOMMENTS
i love letters, love all the tactile, visual elements you mentioned when writing about letters. but i do think that it's old fashioned, as possibly evidence of a generation gap, to say that emails somehow can't convey what a letter can. an email can convey what a typewritten letter can. it can convey whatever the author wishes, without the charm of handwriting, but also without the crutch off visual expression (and of course with total legibility!). jenkins, in the excerpt, implies that communicating in a deep or personal way via email somehow shows a lack of respect for the word, as though something that we cherish and respect, something deeply meaningful and truly important, must be rationed or rare.
And with that, I’d disagree. love is, basically what makes life worth living, but i certainly don't husband my "I love you", my compliments, or my embraces. can you ever get enough love? Can you ever say or write or read enough wonderful things? is that sudden i love you as you approach the subway stop, that rush of emotion, recognition of another morning with your sweetie, and the day, whatever it may bring, will end with another night of him? how wonderful, simple, and I hope how common. It does not show a lack of respect to share those feelings or insights when they come to you, be it through an email, a phone call, or even a text. Really, It shows recognition of how much words, such as i love you, can change a whole day, i think perhaps people of our generation think of email as another extension of that kiss on the platform, that cup of coffee on the stoop. at worst routine, but at best, a simple and thrilling part of our every day lives.
