What is Epistolary Literature? Epistolary literature is a genre where the novel is primarily written through letters Epistolary comes from the word epistle which means letter The first epistolary novel dates back to the 17th century. The epistolary technique was popularized during the 18th century.

What are the types of Epistolary Novels? Monologic – the letters or diary entry of a single character are recorded Dialogic –the letter exchange is between two characters Polylogic – where three or more characters correspond with each other

Epistolary Examples in Literature Some very famous literary works are epistolary novels: Dracula by Bram Stoker published in 1897 Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster published in 1912

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky Carrie by Stephen King published in 1974 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky published in 1999

And the well known: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney published in 2007

The Epistolary Novels Evolves With the advances in technology, letters are typically not written by hand anymore. Instead they are typed on a computer and send via email. Likewise, the epistolary novel has evolved. Epistolary novels are now not just in letter format.

The 21st Century epistolary novel is written like a 21st Century Letter : Blogs Emails Text Messages Instant Messages Faxes Facebook Messages

Many epistolary novels are written using a combination of letters, notes, memos, newspaper ads., text messages, documents, etc.

There are advantages to reading a novel written in this format. Epistolary writing: Helps to connect the reader to the characters Provides an opportunity for the author to share multiple points of view at once Seems more authentic and genuine Puts the entire focus on the characters of the story

There can also be some disadvantages: Understanding the relationships between characters may be difficult. They can cause the reader to be biased towards one character and miss the importance of another. Regardless of any disadvantages, they are very fun and interesting to read! It’s as if you have stumbled into someone’s life.

For our unit: We will look at epistolary literature through the short story and the novel. You will also have the opportunity to engage in some epistolary writing of your own!