In this dissertation, I explore the conventions and methods of negotiation used in letter writing as a unique communicative genre. Specifically, I am interested in revealing the ways that letter writing, as a communicative genre, contributed to the development of a particular romantic relationship in the 1930s, a time when there were few other ways to communicate effectively over geographical distance. In order to explore this genre, I developed a series of investigative practices based upon the theories of contemporary ethnographic theory, M. M. Bakhtin, and American Pragmatism. Specifically, I engaged in three steps: (1) I have explored the stories told in the letters, which has helped establish a historical context for them; (2) I have examined the "epistolary pact" that was negotiated between the two correspondents, Lil and Harry, as they created their written dialogue; and (3) I have reviewed the way that their correspondence functioned as a genre of communication important to the development and maintenance of this relationship over distance in the twentieth century. Through this process, I have outlined specific processes vital to letter writing as a genre of communication including establishing a sense of the presence of the writer in the letter, which required negotiating space and time differentials separating the reader and writer of correspondence. Moreover, I determined that there were certain rules and regulations that were negotiated between writer and reader, including frequency, length, tone, and content. Next, I analyzed the materiality of the letter as a physical object, including the instruments and mediums used in letter writing as well as the tactility of letters. Finally, I looked at the ways that all of these elements functioned concurrently to develop an epistolary pact that allowed a romance to flourish between Lil and Harry.
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机译：在本文中，我探讨了在信函写作中作为一种独特的交流体裁使用的协商约定和方法。特别是，我有兴趣揭示作为交流类型的信写作在1930年代（一种当时很少有其他方法可以在地理距离上进行有效交流）的时代促进特殊恋爱关系发展的方式。为了探索这种类型，我根据当代人种志理论，巴赫金（M. M. Bakhtin）和美国实用主义的理论，开发了一系列调查实践。具体来说，我分三个步骤：（1）探索了信件中讲述的故事，这为他们建立了历史背景； （2）我检查了两名通讯员Lil和Harry在建立书面对话时商定的“书信条约”； （3）我回顾了它们的对应关系如何作为一种交流形式发挥作用，这种方式对二十世纪随着距离的发展和这种关系的维持很重要。通过这一过程，我概述了对作为交流体裁的信写作至关重要的特定过程，包括建立对信中作者的临场感的认识，这需要通过谈判来解决时空差异，以区分读者和来往信件。此外，我确定作家和读者之间需要协商确定某些规则和规定，包括频率，长度，音调和内容。接下来，我分析了作为一个物理对象的信件的重要性，包括信件书写所使用的工具和媒介以及信件的触感。最后，我研究了所有这些元素同时发挥作用的方式，以发展出一个书信契约，使浪漫故事在Lil和Harry之间蓬勃发展。
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