Early Modern Privacy and Authorship Represented In Dorothy Osborne’s Letters

Abstract

This paper attempts to examine Dorothy Osborne’s epistolary style through her letters written to Sir William Temple. A total of 78 letters were written between 1652 to 1654 which helped to maintain the lengthy clandestine courtship between them. This study aims to specifically illustrate how Osborne strives to keep privacy as an aristocratic woman in the early modern period as well as successfully manages to build trust with her audience. Osborne’s emphasis on honesty is examined, which she uses to elucidate personal thoughts and feelings toward concurrent issues in her time and create intimacy between them. Furthermore, the letters show her authorship as a writer by dealing with topics and themes as abundant as any literary piece. This study hopes to illuminate the literary and historical significance of Osborne’s letters as they provide a vivid window into the epistolary style popular in that time, Osborne’s own role in as an aristocrat, as well as to the larger aristocratic society of the early modern period.