EN
The authoress reconstructs the history of letter-writing as a language form against the background of broader cultural changes. The letter-writing of the 17th and 18th centuries as well as salon culture and burgher sentimentality are subject to particular analysis. The purpose of that analysis is to recreate the conditions needed for the existence of the autobiography category - i.e. the recognition by a person of their own 'I' as unique and gifted with the ability to view life from the perspective of development and recognising sincerity as an important cultural value.