Is It Over?

In the age of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, blogs, instant messages, and text messages, are we witnessing the end of true communication? I mean, the use of proper grammar, complete sentences, and reasonably well-developed vocabularies? Will there be no more notes/letters between friends and loved ones? Heck, I'd settle for an email that's not a forward! LOL (see?! I just did it!)

I ask because yesterday while searching for a quote online (a sad commentary, because people also don't go to libraries anymore for these kinds of things), I came across Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning. For English Lit majors or those who just love reading, you may already know who these two are. They were both well known poets and authors in England during the Victorian Era. Ms. Barrett has been compared to Shakespeare because of her literary imagery.

Anyway, their love has been touted as the greatest love affair of the Victorian Era. And why? It's not as though they endured war, famine, or the plague, yet managed to carve out a bit of happiness, no matter how short-lived. No, their love is hailed as great because it evolved through the pen. That's right! Letters. Letters initiated by Mr. Browning to express his admiration for Ms. Barrett's writing. Over the 20 months of their courtship, they exchanged over 500 letters.

Elizabeth Barrett's father didn't approve of the relationship, as he wished all of his children to remain unmarried. It also didn't help that Elizabeth was a sickly woman for a large portion of her life. But Browning and Barrett married secretly anyway, and he whisked her away to Italy where they lived until Elizabeth's death.

So, my question is this - in the age of literary ADD, where one word and abbreviation only reponses ("ttyl", "lol", "c u l8r") are the norm, are the days of expressing affection, sorrow, amusement, etc. through the written word over? I certainly hope not.