Browse Exhibits (1 total)

The Evolution of Love Letters within a Relationship

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     It is hard to dispute that as a romantic relationship continues, over time the feelings shared between the couple changes. Whether it deepens into love or weakens as it gets caught up in the difficulties that emerge after coming out of the honeymoon stage depends upon the individual couple. Either way, these changes are important for people to undergo to reach a deeper level of communication and connection in a healthy and loving relationship.

     But how does the evolution of a relationship affect the way love notes and letters between a couple change over time? Love letters are an important way for couples to communicate their feelings to each other. They can be a way for couples to work through an issue, pass on encouragement, remind them of their passion, and so much more. The communication of love and how it evolves is important to our study of everyday writing because it offers a look into the intimate connections people make. There is a vulnerability in love notes that rivals journal entries, for not only are they a glimpse into how a person thinks and feels as an individual, but how they express that to another in a way that might please them. So how do those late night texts at the beginning of a relationship filled with passion and lust compare to the short but loving sticky notes left on a partner’s lunch box as they hurry to work on time 3 years into a committed marriage?

     This exhibit explores the ways these letters change alongside the relationship by categorizing them into the four psychologically recognized stages of a healthy partnership: infatuation, landing, burying, and resurfacing. Each page will delve further into exactly what that stage means and examples of the types of romantic writing that have been written during that stage between different couples.

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