Begging letter
Encyclopedia
A begging letter is a letter to a rich person or organisation, usually written by a poor person, or a person claiming to be poor, begging for money or help.
Examples of begging letters include a variant of the Nigeria
n 419 scam, where a letter is sent to a wealthy individual asking for financial assistance for orphaned children, emergency surgery, etc.
The May 1850 edition of Household Words
contained an article entitled The Begging-Letter Writer written by the novel
ist Charles Dickens
. In the article Dickens describes examples of the many begging letters he had received over the years, and the ruses employed by their writers to gain funds from the recipients.
Examples of begging letters include a variant of the Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n 419 scam, where a letter is sent to a wealthy individual asking for financial assistance for orphaned children, emergency surgery, etc.
The May 1850 edition of Household Words
Household Words
Household Words was an English weekly magazine edited by Charles Dickens in the 1850s which took its name from the line from Shakespeare "Familiar in his mouth as household words" — Henry V.-History:...
contained an article entitled The Begging-Letter Writer written by the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
. In the article Dickens describes examples of the many begging letters he had received over the years, and the ruses employed by their writers to gain funds from the recipients.
External links
- http://www.readprint.com/chapter-22830/Reprinted-Pieces-Charles-DickensThe Begging-Letter Writer by Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
] - Definition at The Free Dictionary