Oftentimes, this correspondence involves slightly modifying the original message, perhaps by updating a list of intended addressees.
Create letter chain archive#
VanArsdale, the folklorist who compiled the Paper Chain Letter Archive and wrote an accompanying treatise on chain letter evolution, defines chain letters as writings that “explicitly” ask recipients to make or purchase copies for distribution. From ancient Egypt to the Great Depression and the rise of social media, this is the story behind the notes currently flooding your inbox. As one popular recipe exchange warns, “Seldom does anyone drop out because we all need new ideas.” The implication is clear: Participation-while not required-is strongly suggested.īefore deleting (or forwarding) the next chain letter you receive, consider reading up on the medium’s surprisingly rich history. Still, even seemingly benign chains come with a catch. “It’s more of a bolstering of the spirit, or appealing to something that everybody’s doing now, like cooking.” “Those aren’t the kind that are being perpetuated in this climate,” says Betty Belanus, an education specialist and curator at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Preston-the missives currently circulating are largely non-threatening. Unlike luck chain letters-which promise “a big payoff” if sent on and a “curse … if you comply,” according to folklorist and literary scholar Michael J.
Now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the polarizing mode of communication is enjoying a renaissance, with individuals stuck at home forwarding recipe chains, inspirational quotes, photo challenges and other ostensibly comforting prompts to their friends and family. The 900-plus chain letters in folklorist Daniel VanArsdale’s digital archive range from the conventional-an 1896 fundraiser for a Louisville orphanage and a 1982 note urging recipients to relay the contents onward or suffer devastating consequences-to the unexpected, including a 1917 missive detailing how potential draftees could obtain conscientious objector status, a 1940 postcard calling for those addressed to ship handkerchiefs to strangers, and a 1986 petition advocating the boycott of Proctor and Gamble products adorned in “satanic symbol.”ĭefined broadly as messages designed to be passed on for alternatively self-serving, altruistic or nefarious purposes, chain letters have taken an array of forms over the centuries.
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