La correspondance comme instrument de combat de l’écrivain engagé

Abstract

Writing a letter is more than just a technical act aiming at conveying some precise data, it is an act which should be analysed according to its psychological, historical and stylistic imprints. The epistolary correspondence exceeds communicational limits and the letter writer uses it just like he would use poetry or a novel. Moreover, a letter may go beyond the frontiers of genres and have a distinct use during particular historical events, such as war.
This article proposes to analyse the epistolary correspondence during the WWI and WWII. Various writers used this means of communication in different ways: to inform, to describe, to share, etc. And above all, it is an important historical and literary document enabling the letter writer to use it as a powerful instrument of warfare, capable not only of convincing the recipient, but also of defending and even attacking the opponent.