The Secret Life of Words was a striking little movie, one of several to which Tim Robbins provided his talents, though the star was his younger co-star, Sarah Polley. An important reference in the film was a mention of the 17th Century Letters of a Portuguese Nun, a set of famous love letters of an abandoned nun to her French captain beloved. [Book reference alert!]
Though, as Myriam Cyr (an actress that fell in love with them, her book is an impressive act of scholarship for a first timer in the field) notes in an interesting little volume, many rejected the possibility that a woman -- even a clearly well educated one of noble birth -- wrote them. [Many say it is a work of fiction, which would not really reduce their power.] The force of the letters themselves -- a few pages a piece -- is clear, though they become a bit repetitive. Their special note, other than as an expression of love, is the female voice of a wronged lover. In this, they had in effect an early feminist cast.
Cyr's own volume defends the nun's authorship while providing useful background context. More background than defense really, but she makes a pretty good, if not compelling, case. Worthwhile reading. She includes "Thirty-two Questions on Love," included in the original publication of the letters. They are also interesting reflections of the era, many (if not most) remaining quite relevant today.