“So pöbelhaft die Sprache in diesem gantzen Briefe ist.”

Abstract

Abstract Letters to the editor in the moral weeklies represent a special form of epistolary practice in the early 18th century, which is examined in this article on the basis of Johann Christoph Gottsched’s Die Vernünfftigen Tadlerinnen. Within the didactic concept of the journal, a fictitious correspondence between the fictitious editors and their supposed readers takes place, contributing to the dialogicity of the piece and suggesting that the magazine is widely perceived. Furthermore, letter-writing is addressed with the aim of improving the written German language and is repeatedly linked to the question of female education. Overall, an affinity between letter-writing guides and the moral weekly is elaborated, which suggests a use of the letter in the course of a popularization of knowledge.