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Belles-lettres, meaning “beautiful letters,” is a category of literature that focuses on aesthetics rather than content. It includes works such as poems, novels, and essays, and reading such works is meant to be an aesthetic pleasure. Historically, typography was used to make the works physically attractive. While some dismiss belles-lettres as low on substance, they have their place in providing an enjoyable work of art and can be valuable in conveying information or presenting arguments.
A belles-lettre is something that falls into the category of literature known as a belles-lettres, from the French for “beautiful letters.” The types of literature that fall into this category are a bit nebulous, and the meaning of “belles-lettres” has changed over the years. Someone who writes literature that falls into this category can be called a belletrist.
Originally, this term was used to refer to literature with a focus on aesthetics, rather than content. A belles-lettre was something elegant, beautiful, and stylishly written, with characteristics such as innovative use of words, vivid visual imagery, and overall beauty. Poems, novels, essays, and other forms of writing could fit into this category. Reading such a work is supposed to be an aesthetic pleasure, with people enjoying the beauty of the work for its own sake.
In some cases, even a belles-lettre is literally beautiful. Historically, the typography in such works was done with particular care to make the work physically attractive and beautiful to read. Typographical tricks could be used to add an air of play or whimsy to the piece, and the aesthetics of the piece as a whole were carefully considered. Physical beauty was valued alongside the aesthetics of writing, in other words.
At one time, the term “belles-lettre” was used in reference to any kind of light literature that is low on substance and designed to entertain or enrapture. Along the way, it has acquired some pejorative connotations in some circles, with people dismissing belles-lettres as beneath their interest. College and university programs focused on studying and producing such works, for example, could be accused of diluting the purpose of the written word. Likewise, authors who focus on this type of writing may be laughed at by critics.
Beautiful letters definitely have their place. The aesthetic enjoyment of literature is something people have valued for centuries, and while drier works focused on information content are also valuable, sometimes it is refreshing to be able to enjoy a work simply because it is an enjoyable work of art. Just as something like a painting need not serve a practical or informational purpose, a belles-lettre can be a way to ease and enrich the mind in an aesthetic sense. People may also enjoy creating such works, as the demands on the writer are very different than for people working on informative, critical, and substantive pieces. The ability to write elegantly and well can actually be very valuable to people who want to convey information or present arguments.
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