A landmark of postmodern American fiction, Letters is (as the subtitle
genially informs us) an old time epistolary novel by seven fictitious
drolls & dreamers each of which imagines himself factual. Seven
characters (including the Author himself) exchange a novel's worth of
letters during a 7-month period in 1969, a time of revolution that
recalls the U.S.'s first revolution in the 18th century - the heyday of
the epistolary novel. Recapitulating American history as well as the
plots of his first six novels, Barth's seventh novel is a witty and
profound exploration of the nature of revolution and renewal, rebellion
and reenactment, at both the private and public levels. It is also an
ingenious meditation on the genre of the novel itself, recycling an
older form to explore new directions, new possibilities for the novel.