How Do I Love Thee
Most of us don't have the time to compose a snail mail. It won't be an option, as e-mail is more convenient. Technology can find better, if not, faster ways. We embrace social media in no time. Those who cling to snail mail have good reasons. We can be creative, if not expressive, in it.
The letter is the only means of communication between two distant parties back then. And do not doubt if someone will open up the envelope and read the content. There was such a thing as discretion, and no one would ever thought of hacking (or whatever you called it). Some would suggest the diary, and they're right. Only you can read your own journal. But there's a chance that no one will ever know your thoughts once you decide to dispose it. The same thing can be said of letters, but it would be a case-to-case basis.
It wasn't surprising that letters written by artists, or their kin, would be highly prized nowadays. They revealed their thoughts and feelings, which would help us understand (or appreciate) their works even better. The letters of Vincent van Gogh to his brother, Theo, for instance, showed their symbiotic relationship. It didn't come as a shock, then, that Theo passed away months after his sibling's death. It also revealed the painter's torturous soul, which helped him composed his finest works. If not for those pieces of papers, then who would know what was going on in his mind.
John Keats was another case. He belonged to the second generation of Romantic poets, but his works weren't well received during his lifetime. He passed away on February 23, 1821 at a young age of 25. It was a tragic end, but there was a change of heart. If not for his letters.
Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art
Fanny Brawne was married to Louis Lindon, and the couple was blessed to have three children. When she reached old age, she handed a pack of letters to them. She advised them not to dispose it, as it would be great value. Those letters belonged to Yeats.
Brawne, who was born in Hampstead, was in her late teenage years when she met Yeats. Some historians believed she was the reason why he was prolific. She was his muse. Jane Campion wrote and directed their brief romance in "Bright Star". It alluded to one of his poems for her, of how he loved her deeply. She felt the same way. In fact, they were about to get married. But Yeats was suffering from tuberculosis. If science was at an advanced stage during their time, then the outcome would be different. A happy ending, as many believed.
The young Brawne was so consumed with grief, such that she didn't entertain any suitors for many years. She even kept her relationship - and letters - a secret. Money wasn't the reason for her giving those letters to her children. (You have a heart of stone if you think otherwise.) If not for those letters, do you think there'll be a change of opinion on Yeats and his poems? Your guess is as good as anyone else.
