Basic Structure of the Encoding of Letters

Letters are framed with a <div> element, which contains the attribute value pair @type="letter" in addition to the attribute @n. Letters are tagged according to the rules for unspecified texts. Specifications of the text type letter are the <opener> and the <closer>.

The <opener> contains the data characteristic for the beginning of a letter: details of the location, date (<dateline>), salutation and recipient.

The <closer> contains the data characteristic for the end of a letter: the location, date (<dateline>), salutation and signature of the sender.

The location and date specification in <opener> or <closer> is enclosed with the <dateline> element. The salutation and the complimentary close are each enclosed with <salute>. The signature of the recipient under a letter is located in <closer> in the <signed> element. The arrangement of the elements within the <opener> or <closer> element is variable and follows the original. 

<div type="letter">
  <head>[title of the letter]</head><!-- where applicable -->
  <opener><!-- where applicable -->
  <dateline>[place and date]</dateline>
  <salute>[salutation]</salute>
  </opener>
  <p>[text of the letter]</p>
  <p>[text of the letter]</p>
  <closer><!-- where applicable -->
  <dateline>[place and date]</dateline>
  <salute>[final salutation]</salute>
  <signed>[signature]</signed>
  </closer>
</div>

Letterhead

<div n="2" type="letter">
  <head>An Karoline von Woltmann, in Prag.</head><lb/>
  <opener>
    <dateline>Karlsruhe, den 7. Januar 1817. Trübes windiges,<lb/>warmes Wetter.</dateline>
  </opener><lb/>
  <p>Alles Gras iſt raus: geſtern ſetzten die Leute ſchon ihre<lb/>
  Ertofflen in die Erde: in Markgraf Ludwigs Garten kommen<lb/>[...]</p>
</div><lb/>

Source: Varnhagen von Ense, Rahel: Rahel. Ein Buch des Andenkens für ihre Freunde. Bd. 2. Berlin, 1834. [Facsimile 438]

Letter Ending

<p>[...] Lebe wohl<lb/>
und laſſe bald wieder von Dir hören.</p><lb/>
<closer>
  <dateline>Weimar, den 5. Februar 1810.</dateline><lb/>
  <salute>Goethe.</salute>
</closer><lb/>

Source: Arnim, Bettina von: Goethe's Briefwechsel mit einem Kinde. Bd. 2. Berlin, 1835. [Facsimile 166]