History Main / EpistolaryNovel

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1645817974073922000 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]

[[folder: Fan Fiction ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live-Action TV ]]

[[folder: Music ]]

[[folder: Radio ]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Theatre ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Web Originals ]]

[[/folder]]

See also TheRashomon and DirectLineToTheAuthor (authors will occasionally credit themselves as "compiler" or similar).

* ''Paper Cranes'' is written as this and a {{Diary}}, as Ryuuko writes her letters to her passed-on IllGirl sister Satsuki in a diary that the latter had given her.

* Creator/KateCary wrote ''Bloodline'' and ''Bloodline: Reckoning'', stories that continue the letters and {{diary}} entries used by ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''.

* ''Literature/DearMrHenshaw'' is partially a {{Diary}} written in the form of letters. The first several letters are really sent by the writer, a boy named Leigh, to his favorite author, the eponymous Mr. Henshaw. Eventually, as Leigh starts pouring out his heart more and more, Mr. Henshaw suggests that he keep a journal. Leigh originally addresses his journal entries to Mr. Henshaw, but gradually drops the habit as he gets used to journaling.

* The satirical novel ''Literature/{{Gog}}'', besides the first chapter, is comprised of Gog's {{Diary}} entries.

* A.S. Byatt's ''Literature/{{Possession}}'' revolves around a pair of modern day scholars discovering the letters of two fictional Victorian poets. Various [[{{Diary}} diaries]] are also quoted at length.

The Epistolary Novel (from the Latin "epistula", ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin 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.

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1645817974073922000 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]

The Epistolary Novel (from the Latin "epistula", [[Main/ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin meaning letter]]) is written as a series of letters from one or more of the characters. 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.

See also TheRashomon, DirectLineToTheAuthor (authors will occasionally credit themselves as "compiler" or similar), and {{Diary}}.

* Anne Frank framed her journal, published as ''Literature/DiaryOfAYoungGirl'', in the form of letters to her imaginary friend Kitty.

* ''The Darkest Dungeon Diaries'' and sequel ''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.

* ''Literature/LoveLettersToTheDead'' is made up of [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin letters protagonist Laurel writes to various public figures who have died]], including Kurt Cobain, Judy Garland, and Amy Winehouse.

* ''The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society'' by Mary Ann Shaffer and Ann Barrows (the latter finished the book after [[AuthorExistenceFailure Shaffer passed away]]) is the collected correspondence between a London writer and the natives of [[UsefulNotes/TheChannelIslands the island of Guernsey]], who started a book club to keep morale up during the German occupation of WWII.

* ''Literature/GetAGripVivyCohen'' consists of letters a young baseball player writes to her favorite pitcher.

* Meg Cabot's ''The Boy Next Door'' is composed of emails sent between the characters.

* ''The Whalestoe Letters'', by Mark Z. Danielewski, consists of letters from Pelafina H. Lievre to her son Johnny, and is a companion piece to ''Literature/{{House Of Leaves}}''.
* Cecilia Ahern's ''Where Rainbows End'' is written almost solely in letters and e-mails.

* Creator/LucyKellaway's ''Who Moved My [=BlackBerry=]?'' is told through emails.

----

* Kathrine Kressman Taylor's short story "Addressee Unknown" is a series of letters between Max Eisenstein, a Jewish art gallery owner, and his friend and business partner, Martin Schulze, a gentile German who has returned with his family to the Fatherland. The letters span the period of 1932-33, and detail the split between the two partners: Max is first alarmed, then horrified at the rumors of what is happening to Jews in Germany, but Martin (and his family) is swept up in the current of the rise of the Third Reich.

* The Whalestoe Letters, by Mark Z. Danielewski consists of letters from Pelafina H. Lievre to her son, Johnny and is a companion piece to ''Literature/{{House Of Leaves}}''.

[[/folder]]
----

* Though the podcast ''Podcast/AliceIsntDead'' takes the form of a CaptainsLog recorded by a driver in the cabin of her truck, it's also a monologic epistolary. In her logs, the {{Narrator}} speaks throughout as though she's addressing her wife, Alice, occasionally adding commentary that implies she expects Alice to listen through them if they reunite.

* ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' (''Literature/DangerousLiaisons'') is composed entirely of letters.

* ''Literature/DaddyLongLegs,'' by Jean Webster, consists 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.

The Epistolary Novel is written as a series of letters from one or more of the characters. 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.

** 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 [[CompletelyMissingThePoint 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.

* ''Stars'' is a ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'' fanfic that takes the form of a string of e-mails and text messages exchanged between Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde during the latter's time at police academy.