History Main / AffairLetters

** When Wilde was on trial, one thing the court discussed was whether a love letter he'd written Douglas was undeniably gay, or if it could plausibly be the platonic if you keep in mind that its author was a dramatic poet.

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* Alfred Douglas (Creator/OscarWilde's lover) gave an old suit to his friend Alfred Wood. He'd left a love letter from Wilde in the pocket. Wood extorted £35 from Wilde for return of most of the letters.

* In an episode of ''Series/{{Mash}}'', Major Houlihan is very upset after receiving a passionate letter from her husband, Donald Penobscott, that's addressed to a woman named Darline. To add insult to injury, the letter mentions her as "a hard worker" and "sturdy". In the end, she decides to get back at him by sending him back an equally passionate letter addressed to a guy named Hank. The two divorce in a later episode.

* During UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, Confederate office J.E.B. Stuart once captured a Union officer's trunk and discovered within it "touching letters from a wife, and obscene ones from a mistress" and Stuart proceeded to send all of the letters to the officer's unknowing wife. "They'll be a fuss in that family" commented Stuart's father-in-law Lieutenant Colonel Philip St. George Cooke.

* ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'': Narrowly averted Blackmail version. While young, Prince Wales of Albion and Princess Henrietta of Tristain fell in love and she at one point sent him a letter declaring her eternal love. Reconquista wanted to get hold of the letter as its contents would prevent Henrietta's marriage to the Germanian Empire and the military alliance of the two nations. Henrietta predicted this and sent Lousie and Saito to retrieve it first.

Alice and Bob are having a SecretRelationship of some sort, and as part of it, they exchange letters. The nature of these letters is romantic, erotic, or both. They are labeled as from one party and to the other, containing both Alice and Bob's names, and maybe a [[SignedWithAKiss kiss mark]]. In old times, the letters were handwritten, though nowadays emails and texts are more likely.

Alice and Bob are having a SecretRelationship of some sort, and as part of it, they exchange letters. The nature of these letters is romantic, erotic, or both. They are labeled as from one party and to the other, containing both Alice and Bob's names. In old times, the letters were handwritten, though nowadays emails and texts are more likely.

* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'' has a subverted accidental version. Rozemyne assumes that this is what she has found when she stumbles upon a secret correspondence between the deceased man who previously occupied her current job and a woman. It results in her keeping the letters secret from her mentor when she shouldn't, as the woman is actually a cherished relative of the deceased who causes many problems later on, in part because Rozemyne's mentor didn't know they were in contact with each other.

* ''Series/Charmed1998'': Piper learns about her mother's relationship with her whitelighter Sam when she finds love letters Sam had kept. This happens long after her mother's death, so there really isn't a reason to hide the relationship anymore; it mostly serves to highlight the GenerationXerox, since Piper is now in a relationship with her own whitelighter Leo.

Alice and Bob are having a SecretRelationship of some sort, and as part of it, they exchange letters. The nature of these letters is romantic, erotic, or both. They are labeled as from one party and to the other, containing both Alice and Bob's names. In old times, the letters were handwritten, though nowadays, emails and texts are more likely.

Compare LoveLetterLunacy--a different kind of love letter drama--and [[LoveLetter love letters in general]]. Also see AffairHair and LipstickMark for other types of evidence of affairs.

* In the ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'' mission The World Of Tomotrow 47 can find a love letter to Francesca De Santis from her lover Roberto. Her being an assassination target, 47 can use this knowledge to set up a fake rendezvous with a poisonous surprise.

A common add-on s that these are letters document a long-ago affair that either makes the paternity of a baby conceived around that time [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe questionable]], or outright proves that it's not the child of the presumed father.

* '''Paternity''': The letters in these examples can be found in any of the above-mentioned ways, but are connected by their theme. These are letters, documenting a usually-long-ago affair that either makes the [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe paternity of a baby conceived around that time questionable]], or outright proves that it's not the child of the presumed father.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Weregeek}}'' Mark's girlfriend found the emails his and ''Sarah's Vampire the Masquerade'' LARP characters exchanged and failed to understand that it was just part of a game to him, causing the end of their relationship.

* ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'': Narrowly averted Blackmail version. While young, Prince Wales of Albion and Princess Henrietta of Tristain fell in love and she at one point sent him a letter declaring her eternal love. Reconquista wanted to get hold of the letter as its contents would prevent Henrietta's marriage to the Germanian Empire and the military alliance of the two nations. Henrietta predicted this and sent Lousie and Saito to retrieve it first.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* Paternity example: In ''Series/TheBlackAdder'', a Scots lord informs Edmund of love letters between the lord's father and Edmund's mother the queen, detailing an illicit love affair. Edmund tries to use them to prove his elder brother illegitimate, [[spoiler:but it turns out that ''Edmund'' is the love child instead. He promptly declares them libelous fakes and burns them.]]
* In season 1 of ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' there's a Revenge version: Thomas and the Duke of Crowborough were lovers once, and Thomas--who's a big fan of blackmail--threatens the Duke, saying he'll show their letters. The Duke burns them before Thomas gets a chance, though.
-->'''Duke''': You know, my mother's always telling me, never put anything in writing. And now, thanks to you, I never will again.
* ''Series/TheGeorgeLopezShow'': In one episode, George and Angie find old, unopened letters that clue them in that both of them were cheating. {{Subverted|Trope}}; it turns out that Benny wrote both letters and planted them to screw with their heads.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Mash}}'', Major Houlihan is very upset after receiving a passionate letter from her husband, Donald Penobscott, that's addressed to a woman named Darline. To add insult to injury, the letter mentions her as "a hard worker" and "sturdy". In the end, she decides to get back at him by sending him back an equally passionate letter addressed to a guy named Hank. The two divorce in a later episode.
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* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'' has a subverted accidental version. Rozemyne assumes that this is what she has found when she stumbles upon a secret correspondence between the deceased man who previously occupied her current job and a woman. It results in her keeping the letter secret from her mentor when she shouldn't, as the woman is actually a cherished relative of the deceased who causes many problems later on, in part because Rozemyne's mentor didn't know they were in contact with each other.

->''"[I]f you two must conduct an affair practically under His Glory's nose, will you kindly have the sense in future not to put everything down in writing?"''