Just a little note to say “I hate you”

Sophie Nicholls

AS OUR MIND IS STRENGTHENED by communication with vigorous and orderly minds, so it is impossible to say how much it loses and degenerates by our continual association and frequentation with mean and sickly minds.” So wrote the inventor of the essay, Michel de Montaigne, in the 1580s. “Mean and sickly minds” are the subject of Emily Cockayne’s wonderful book on the history of anonymous letters between the 1760s and the 1930s. She has chosen the subject of those who flee from the “art of discussion” and the joys of repartee that Montaigne’s essay describes, and instead seek refuge in anonymous communications. Yet one of the great strengths of her book is not to dismiss the writers of these letters as weirdos existing on the fringes of society, but instead…

You're reading a preview of

The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 2023

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.