Chapters in this book

1. Prelim pages i
2. Table of contents v
3. Acknowledgments vii
4. Introduction 1
5. 1. The pragmatics of epistolary conversation 17
6. 2. Context and the linguistic construction of epistolary worlds 35
7. 3. Making and reading epistolary meaning 55
8. 4. Sociable letters, acts of advice and medical counsel 87
9. 5. Epistolary acts of seeking and dispensing patronage 129
10. 6. Intersubjectivity and the writing of the epistolary interlocutor 175
11. 7. Relevance and the consequences of unintended epistolary meaning 207
12. Making meaning in letters: a lesson in reading 233
13. References 241
14. Index 253