Dominant and emerging forms of interpersonal communication have to find their way into literary language somehow - think of the epistolary novels of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Sally Rooney’s quote explores the relationship between interpersonal communication and literary language. She suggests that the dominant forms of communication, whether emerging or established, eventually make their way into literature, influencing the way writers express characters’ thoughts, emotions, and relationships. Rooney specifically refers to how historical forms of communication—such as letters—were central to literary works in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, particularly in the form of epistolary novels, which were written as a series of letters between characters.

The reference to epistolary novels highlights a period when letters were a primary mode of communication. These novels, like "Pamela" by Samuel Richardson or "Dangerous Liaisons" by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, used letters as a way to convey the internal lives and relational dynamics of characters. Rooney’s point is that literary language adapts to the ways people communicate in real life, reflecting shifts in how individuals express themselves, whether through letters, telegraphs, or, in today’s world, text messages and emails.

Rooney’s quote also suggests that as new forms of communication emerge, writers incorporate them into their works to capture the evolving ways in which people interact. Just as letters were a crucial medium in the past, contemporary modes of communication—like social media, texts, or emails—shape how modern novels portray relationships and character development. The influence of these communication methods can be seen in how modern authors portray conversation, intimacy, and conflict in their works.

In essence, Rooney’s quote points to the dynamic relationship between communication and storytelling. She argues that just as the epistolary novel was shaped by the common communication methods of its time, contemporary forms of interpersonal communication will continue to influence and transform the way literature is written and experienced.