History Main / EpistolaryNovel

An interesting case are epistolary novels that are co-written, i.e. have two authors. These can take the form of the two authors each adopting a character, and sending the in-character letters to the other author who responds with another in-character letter. This becomes comparable to a UsefulNotes/{{Roleplaying}} PlayByPostGame.

The Epistolary Novel (from the Latin ''epistula'', meaning letter) is written as a series of [[FictionalDocument in-story documents]], often ones that are sent between one or more of the characters, such as letters. In the case of letters, it could be all from just one character, an ongoing correspondence between two characters or letters from a variety of characters addressed to a number of different people.

* ''Series/NorthernExposure'' had a tie-in book called ''Literature/LettersFromCicely'', which was ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Highlights included Joel thanking his parents for sending him lox from New York and asking for a recipe, it being smoked salmon and all.

* "Stan" by Music/{{Eminem}} is framed as a correspondence between a fan ("Stan") and his favorite rapper. The letters Stan sends become increasingly psychotic, as he has never received a reply and is becoming convinced that the rapper believes himself to be too important to answer his fans' letters. In the last verse, the rapper finally gets round to replying, begging Stan not to do anything stupid, but it's too late because Stan has [[DrivenToSuicide drowned himself]] along with his girlfriend and unborn child to teach the rapper a lesson. [[note]]The penultimate verse has Stan making a tape recording as he drives his car towards the river, telling the rapper what he plans to do, only to realise at the last second that he won't be able to mail the tape if he's dead.[[/note]]
** Christian rapper KJ-52 then wrote "Dear Slim" parts 1 and 2, which were a respectful call to Eminem to be careful with the great influence he has over his fanbase, also letting him know he was praying for him (this was all taken by much of the music industry as an insult, but not by Eminem himself). Eminem later wrote "Careful What You Wish For," in which he talks about how someone told him he was praying for him, and says that he's thankful but he believes he's already got God on his side.

* For that matter, there's also Music/TomWaits' [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis."]]
* "I'm All Right" by {{Twizted}} is a suicide note asking the reader not to mourn.
* "Boots of Spanish Leather" by Music/BobDylan alternates each verse between letters sent by two lovers temporarily separated across the Atlantic.
* "Care of Cell 44" by Music/TheZombies is addressed to the narrator's lover who's awaiting release from prison.
* "Strawberry Letter 23" by Shuggie Otis and {{covered up}} by The Brothers Johnson is a reply to a much anticipated love letter from the singer's girlfriend.
* Two different songs called "P.S. I Love You". One is an old Johnny Mercer standard, the other is by Music/TheBeatles.

* "Indiana Wants Me" by R. Dean Taylor is a letter from the narrator, who's on the run from police for a murder he committed, to his wife/girlfriend.

--> ''Dear born, you'll be out soon, stay strong \\
Out in New York the same shit is going on \\
The crack-heads talking \\
Check out the story yesterday when I was walking \\
The kid that you shot last year tried to appear like he hurtin' something \\
Word to mother, I heard him fronting \\
And he be pumping on your block \\
Your man gave him your glock \\

* The Donovan song "To Susan on the West Coast Waiting [From Andy in Viet Nam Fighting]" is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.

* The song "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)" by Creator/AllanSherman has the FramingDevice of a kid writing a letter home to his parents about how terrible his summer camp is. By the end of the song he's changed his mind and says "Mother, Father, kindly disregard this letter."

* Creator/TheBBC Radio 4 (and [[SoundToScreenAdaptation later]] Creator/{{ITV}}) series ''Ladies of Letters''.

* ''{{TabletopGame/Shadowrun}}'' and ''{{TabletopGame/Cyberpunk}}'' have many sourcebooks that read this way, using combinations of internet postings, news article commentary, and chat room transcripts to advance the background stories.

* ''{{Theatre/Passion}}'' and the musical version of ''Literature/DaddyLongLegs'' are both epistolary musicals.

[[folder:Web Originals]]
* ''Literature/BabeRuthManTankGladiator'' is written by a 39th century priest in the style of a twenty-first century WebSerialNovel.

The Epistolary Novel (from the Latin "epistula", meaning letter) is written as a series of [[FictionalDocument in-story documents]], often ones that are sent between one or more of the characters, such as letters. In the case of letters, it could be all from just one character, an ongoing correspondence between two characters or letters from a variety of characters addressed to a number of different people.

[[folder: Audio Plays]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

* The ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fanfiction [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3689325/1/The_Original_Naked_Quidditch_Match Naked Quidditch Match]] is written as a series of 'm-mails' between the characters in the days leading up to the aforementioned match. At the end, [[ScrapbookStory it switches to Lee Evans' commentary on it, then Rita Skeeter's article supplies the epilogue]].
* The appropriately named ''Series/DoctorWho'' fanfic ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8619924/1/Epistolary-The-50-Years-Before-We-Were-Born Epistolary: The Fifty Years Before We Were Born]]'' is written as a series of letters and diary entries, following the lives of Amy and Rory after [[spoiler: they were stranded in the 1940s at the end of "The Angels Take Manhattan"]].
* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/56826/yes-apple-bloom-there-is-a-santa-hooves Yes, Apple Bloom, there is a Santa Hooves]] consists of a series of letters recording the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Applejack corresponding with Equestria's equivalent to Santa Claus. All the letters are done on real-life stationery.
* ''[[http://prof-pangaea.livejournal.com/115264.html Sub Rosa]]'' is a ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' fanfic that depicts a series of telegrams sent between Holmes and Mycroft during the former's time in hiding after his faked death.
* ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/3165557/ As It Was Written]]'' is written as a series of diary entries/letters by [[Anime/KillLaKill Satsuki Kiryuin]] from age 4 to 18

* ''Across the Waking Sea'', a side volume in the ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' fic series ''Fanfic/TwiceUponAnAge'', consists entirely of letters exchanged between [[TheStoryteller Varric Tethras]] and [[ShipTease Bethany Hawke]] during the first 35 chapters of the main story.

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12722724/1/Darkest-Dungeon-Diaries The Darkest Dungeon Diaries]]'' and sequel ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12787250/1/The-Crimson-Court-Correspondences The Crimson Court Correspondences]]'' are ''FanficRecs/DarkestDungeon'' fanfics written as a series of diary entries, letters, etc. from the perspective of various in-game characters over the course of an entire campaign.
* Fanfic/RainbowDashPleaseReportToThePrincipalsOffice is told through texts between the characters.
* ''[[https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/31651571/chapters/78330983 not delivered.]]'' focuses on the aftermath of the second season of ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' as seen through Anne's texts with her friends [[spoiler:and family, especially her trying to make contact with Sasha and Marcy across dimensions and coping with the uncertain fate of (and her feelings for) the latter]].

* ''Fanfic/ACertainDrollHivemind'': The FramingDevice is that Misaka-11111 was ordered to start a private diary by her psychiatrist. Of course, she's part of a ten-thousand person HiveMind, so the "private" part isn't exactly easy. When she gets into a fight, she convinces Misaka-10901 to write for her while she's busy, and 10901 keeps inserting her own commentary.
* ''Fanfic/DCFanUniverse'': ''News From the Nation #1'' is written as an in-universe newspaper about the events around the formation of the Justice League.

** ''Literature/LoveAndFreindship'' (not a misspelling: that's how she spelled the title) was a self-parody written as a series of letters.

** Paul's Epistles which are just that - epistles, i.e. letters.

* ''Literature/CorrespondenceFromTheGoddess'' is an ongoing WebSerialNovel published as a series of letters from Lydia Devin, a seemingly normal woman who unexpectedly became all-powerful, to humanity, with introductions from Elana Devin, her sister and conscience - at least, at first.

* ''Literature/DaddyLongLegs,'' by Jean Webster, consists (apart from a prologue setting up the premise) solely of letters written by the protagonist, Judy Abbott to the title character, who is sponsoring her college education. The sequel, ''Dear Enemy'', is comprised of letters from Judy's friend, Sallie; most of these are to Judy, but some are to other characters as well.
* ''Literature/LesLiaisonsDangereuses'' (''Literature/DangerousLiaisons'') is composed entirely of letters.

* Dorothy L. Sayers' ''The Documents in the Case''.

* ''Literature/FreedomAndNecessity'', by Stephen Brust and Emma Bull - 100% letters exchanged between the main characters, with a few authentic excerpts from ''The Times'' mixed in for verisimilitude.

* One of the stories in Bret Easton Ellis's collection ''The Informers'' is a series of letters written from a girl to Sean, the protagonist of his novel ''Literature/TheRulesOfAttraction''. [[spoiler: He never replies to any of them.]]

* Creator/MarkTwain's [[http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/twainlfe.htm "Letters from the Earth"]]
* ''Literature/TheLettersFromNicodemus'' are twenty five letters from the titular Nicodemus to his old mentor.

** There's also the lesser known ''Letters to Malcolm; Chiefly on Prayer'', which was not so much a novel (although Malcolm himself is fictional) as a discussion on various aspects of Christianity, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin especially prayer.]]

* Steve Kluger's ''My Most Excellent Year'', told in school assignments, websites (Augie updates his to include "Diva of the Month"), emails - the works.

* Eric [=LaRocca=]'s horror novella ''Literature/ThingsHaveGottenWorseSinceWeLastSpoke'' consists entirely of emails and chat logs between the two central characters.

* ''Literature/PSLongerLetterLater'': Two best friends sending letters to each other after one of them moves away.
** In the sequel "Snail Mail No More", the friends are now sending e-mails.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov:
** "Literature/BlindAlley": This story mixes internal government memos between [=BuOuProv=] (Bureau for the Outer Provinces) and Loodun Antyok with a cinematic third-person perspective of events. The memo format was [[InspirationForTheWork inspired by]] Dr Asimov's time writing memos in service to the Naval Aviation Experimental Station.
** "Literature/RejectionSlips": The poem is actually three letters, each rejecting one of Creator/IsaacAsimov's manuscripts. Each letter uses its own style of poetry and personal address as a {{Homage}} to his most frequent publication editors.

* Creator/SamuelRichardson popularized the use of "characters writing letters" in English literature with two novels:
** ''{{Literature/Pamela}}'' (1740)
** ''{{Literature/Clarissa}}'' (1748)
*** Upton Sinclair wrote "Another Pamela," a modern adaptation of "Pamela".

* ''Literature/GetAGripVivyCohen'' consists of letters between a young baseball player and her favorite pitcher.
* The ''Literature/RegardingThe'' series is told entirely in letters, official documents, transcripts, newspaper clippings, and the like.
* ''North With Franklin'' tells the story of James Fitzjames, third-in-command of the lost Franklin Expedition. The novel is written as a series of a letters Fitzjames sends to his sister-in-law, based on the letters the real Fitzjames sent before the expedition disappeared.

* While not a novel, Creator/{{Ovid}}'s ''Heroides'' is a collection of letters from famous women to men they loved. Quite a few are addressed to men who abandoned them, the heroes of Myth/ClassicalMythology frequently being a pack of {{Jerkass}}es; two of this type are intended for Jason of the Argonauts.

* ''Series/NorthernExposure'' had a tie-in book called ''Letters From Cicely'', which was ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Highlights included Joel thanking his parents for sending him lox from New York and asking for a recipe, it being smoked salmon and all.