In writing, one can express feelings they can never convey aloud. Letters allow one to reveal their thoughts more personally and intimately than they can in person. Staring at a blank page of paper is definitely less intimidating than looking into someone's eyes. Communication is such an important vitality, and letter-writing the lacks loss of words, stuttering, awkward silences, and uneasiness that conversations can sometimes carry.

In the novel Pride and Prejudice, letter-writing is almost as much a form of communication as face-to-face conversation. In fact, letters provide some of the most intense and important climaxes in the story, not to mention some of the most intense secrets. This method that Austen uses effectively conveys the situation without any interruption or delay.

The most obvious example of a letter revealing intimate feelings is Darcy's letter to Elizabeth. After Lizzy accuses Darcy of being greedy and lying, he leaves immediately without justifying his actions. In the letter he writes her after their meeting, he explains, "You may possibly wonder why all this was not told you last night. But I was not then the master enough of myself to know what

Jane Bennet, Elizabeth's older sister, expresses her feelings the most through her letters to her sister. The ongoing relationship with she and Bingley often brought grief to her, which she would write about to Elizabeth. After Bingley failed to visit Jane in London, she wrote to Lizzy,

Letters are not only used throughout the novel to convey feeling, but to also provide important developments. The first we hear of Lydia Bennet running away with Mr. Wickham is through a letter from Jane explaining to Elizabeth, "An express came at twelve last night...from Colonel Forster, to inform us that she (Lydia) was gone off to Scotland with one of his officers; to own the truth, with Wickham!" (pg. 182) This occurrence is a great surprise because not only is Lydia less than sixteen years old, but Wickham was, at one time, pursuing Elizabeth. The news is one of the most scandalous events in the novel, and by presenting it through a letter, Austen can more blatantly present it without any distraction or interruption.

It is obvious that Mr. Collins uses his letters as a way to ridicule the Bennet family for their imperfections and place his station in the hierarchy of society well above theirs.

"...I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh...who

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Approximate Word count = 892
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)