Studies in Scottish Literature Volume 35 | Issue 1 Article 41 2007 Robert Burns, John Moore, and the Limits of Writing Letters Henry L. Fulton Central Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/ssl Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Fulton, Henry L. (2007) "Robert Burns, John Moore, and the Limits of Writing Letters," Studies in Scottish Literature: Vol. 35: Iss. 1, 526–550. Available at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/ssl/vol35/iss1/41 This Article is brought to you by the Scottish Literature Collections at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Studies in Scottish Literature by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Henry L. Fulton Robert Bums, John Moore, and the Limits of Writing Letters The epistolary relationship between Robert Burns and the Scottish sur geon-turned-author, John Moore (1729-1802), began with another epistolary connection initiated with the poetry by Moore's friend of many years, Frances Dunlop (1730-1815). At the time Mrs. Dunlop began to correspond with Burns, she was living only fifteen miles away. Moore was living in London. It is well known that after the death of her elderly husband in 1785, Fran ces Dunlop fell ill with grief and depression, augmented by other family prob lems. One of her visitors the following year, bringing welcome comfort, was Moore's son Graham, a commander in the Royal Navy, posted in the Irish Sea. Late in 1786 someone placed in her hands the Kilmarnock edition of Burns's poems, published that summer.