January 21st, 2011 / 2:36 am
 Random

“These Little Love Letters”

Katherine Mansfield to Princess Bibesco, March 24, 1921:

Dear Princess Bibesco,

I am afraid you must stop writing these little love letters to my husband while he and I live together. It is one of those things which is not done in our world.

You are very young. Won’t you ask your husband to explain to you the impossibility of such a situation.

Please do not make me have to write to you again. I do not like scolding people and I simply hate having to teach them manners.

Yours sincerely,

Katherine Mansfield

15 Comments

  1. January 21st, 2011 / 7:47 am Jake Fournier—

      This is wonderful for several reasons, the most reassuring of which is that people are still reading Katherine Mansfield!

  2. January 21st, 2011 / 9:38 am Kevin Spaide—

      I think I might keep that one on file. You could adapt it to all sorts of situations. I am afraid you must stop…

  3. January 21st, 2011 / 1:19 pm Jack M—

      Love the last line! You and Katherine made my day.

  4. January 21st, 2011 / 1:19 pm Anonymous—

      Love it. The princess must have been mortified!

  5. January 21st, 2011 / 2:39 pm Marian May Kaufman—

      I agree the last line puts just the right stamp on the whole letter.

  6. January 21st, 2011 / 3:02 pm Joseph Young—

      since she’s pretty famously known for her freewheeling love life i wondered about this. according to one bio it wasn’t the affair she objected to but the writing of the letters themselves!

  7. January 21st, 2011 / 3:02 pm Joseph Young—

      since she’s pretty famously known for her freewheeling love life i wondered about this. according to one bio it wasn’t the affair she objected to but the writing of the letters themselves!

  8. January 21st, 2011 / 5:29 pm jhon Baker—

      having sex with someone is a far cry from being in love with someone. I would prefer, if my other were to do such a thing, that no strong emotions be involved.

  9. January 21st, 2011 / 7:55 pm deadgod—

      Dear “Mrs.” Mansfield,

      Your eyes are limpid pools of moonlight, your lips are rose petals fluttering to the depth and breadth of my soul, and your urinary tract infection is a volcano of hot love lava.

      Your sheepskin-protected confidante in vector terminality,

      Her Royal Highness,

      The Princess Bibesco

  10. January 21st, 2011 / 8:01 pm deadgod—

      Yes, that puce lie is hilarious, but, for me, Kyle’s title identifies the bonmotbot: little.

  11. January 21st, 2011 / 8:33 pm Sean—

      Dear Mansfield,

      You are the oxygen to my knocking door

      The Princess Bibesco

  12. January 21st, 2011 / 8:33 pm Sean—

      Dear Mansfield,

      You are the oxygen to my knocking door

      The Princess Bibesco

  13. January 22nd, 2011 / 11:09 pm Sara Crowley—

      That’s wonderful, thank you so much for posting. I wish I could scold people so effectively.

  14. January 24th, 2011 / 2:25 pm Anonymous—

      xrl.us/bh8nzm

  15. January 25th, 2011 / 12:45 am Anonymous—

      xrl.us/bh8nzm