Question

What are epistolary novels?

Answer 1

A novel in which letters are exchanged by people is basically an epistolary novel.

Answer 2

Epistolary fiction is a popular genre where the narrative is told via a series of documents. You have almost certainly read one of these books. Letters are the most common basis for epistolary novels but diary entries are also popular. The word epistolary comes from Latin where epistola means a letter.

• When a story is composed entirely of letters, diary entries, or these days even emails or blog posts, it is known as an epistolary style. The most famous authors of epistolary novels include Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Jane Austen also experimented with an entirely epistolary form in her early days, and though her novels are not entirely epistolary, she’s a good example of someone who makes character correspondence an important part of her fictional work.

• Epistolary novels can be monologic, which means they focus exclusively on the letters or diary entries of one character. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, penned by American novelist Stephen Chbosky, is a good example of a modern monologic epistolary novel, because it consists entirely of the main character’s letters to an anonymous recipient.

• Epistolary novels can also be dialogic, consisting of correspondence between two characters, or polylogic, where multiple characters are represented. Les Liaisons dangereuses, written by French author Choderlos de Laclos, is a strong example of polylogic epistolary writing, because the alternating letters work well with the mood of the novel. They let the reader wonder who to trust, and they create an air of gossip and mystery.