October 30th, 2023 – November 5th, 2023
Welcome to my brainstorm for the final essay! It might get a little crazy, but I think I have some solid thoughts so far, listed in a Google Doc already.
I started with my first idea with queer love letters, but it is such a broad topic that it may be difficult to narrow down. Another issue with reading queer letters and writing about them is the secretive nature of historical queer letters. They are already difficult to find, as historically, queer people needed to be secretive and very private to keep themselves safe. As a queer person myself, I understand that. I did however find a link of “the greatest queer love letters,” so I’ll link that below.
My next idea was to explore letters from Japan, as we have pretty much only read letters from America and England. I’m assuming that has to do with the issue of translation, as I cannot read Japanese fluently, and I only learned it on Duolingo for one year (2020-2021). I was actually thinking about doing my WW2 project on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and written accounts of the aftermath of WW2 in Japan, however, there were few resources I could find. While browsing the Trexler Library’s resources on letter writing that we were provided, I did however find a link to testimonies from the bombing of Hiroshima. I’m still interested in exploring that, but I suppose with the (audio) testimonies after the fact, it makes me wary as to what it could be considered. I guess even in audio form, it could be considered a diary or journal of some sort? I believe the testimonies were taken in 1986, 41 years after the bombing. Yet again, I’ll link this below if anyone else wants to explore. Another thing relating to Japan that I found was a letter from author Laura Ingalls Wilder to the children of Japan, as her Little House on the Prairie books were being translated into Japanese as part of a reeducation effort by the American government as they occupied Japan post-WW2. It’s a very interesting subject, as I think it is something we as Americans often overlook. I’ll also link that article below.
Voice of Hibakusha, Testimonies of Hiroshima
TIME: Read a Moving Letter From Laura Ingalls Wilder on the ‘Things Worthwhile in Life’
Yet again, as I was scrolling the Trexler Library resources page on Epistolary Works, I found this link: http://www.girlonawhaleship.org/. The title alone was interesting, but as I looked into it more, I found that there were actually a lot of resources from this site. It predominantly features the journal of a six-year-old girl on a whaling ship, but other letters and documents can be found, particularly from women either on the ships or on the shore back in Martha’s Vineyard. I’ve always felt a connection to the ocean and water, maybe it’s because I’m a Pisces, even though I don’t like swimming, but I think it would be interesting to explore that further, especially through logs of ships and diaries of sailors. Now that I think of it, I wonder if I could gain access to the logbook of the Edmund Fitzgerald before it sank, as I find the story, and the song associated with it, very interesting. I also find interest in lighthouse keepers, and I found a published journal written by artist Peter Hill, who was a lighthouse keeper for a period of time in Ireland. I just need to find a way to access it…perhaps from ThriftBooks? I’ll have to look into that. I believe I found an interview with Hill or an excerpt from the book in an article, which I will link below.
London Review of Books: Peter Hill – Diary: From the Lighthouse
I was also thinking of perhaps exploring Jane Austen’s letters because I am a huge fan of her work, and I suppose the time period aesthetically that goes along with it. However, I do think that would be a very broad subject, and I have not looked into it too far yet. I don’t think it would be difficult to find her letters, I’m just not sure the best avenue to approach her letters.
I think my best bet is to focus on the sea…whaling ships and lighthouse keepers, as it feels there is a more concrete way of discussion. How did they communicate what was happening on the ship? How did mail work while on the ship, especially prior to the 20th century? Did letters and journaling help to keep them sane, either on the sea or in the lighthouse?
What do you guys think? Let me know!
