Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and it’s the perfect time to express your love for someone special. But why not take it a step further and write a love letter? While we may be used to communicating via text message, email and social media posts, there is something special about a love letter that those other forms of communication can’t quite capture.
To help you get started, why not take inspiration from some of the English language’s most touching, intimate and outrageous love letters? From John Keats’ passionate letters to Fanny Brawne to Emily Dickinson’s longing for her sister-in-law, Susie Huntington Gilbert, to James Joyce’s explicit letters to his wife, Nora Barnacle, there is something for everyone.
Letters require pen, ink, paper, stamps and a desk or table to lean on – the physicality of letters has always been their appeal. They also express the feelings of a moment, as well as being the result of recollection and revision. And of course, the artefacts included with a letter can be just as important as the words it contains.
So why not take some time this Valentine’s Day to write a love letter? It may be scary at first, but it’s a great way to express your feelings and create something that will last forever.
