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Epistolary Novel: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
The
Which form the novel takes can affect how information is revealed to us. If it is monologic then what we'll have is a single possibly biased view and we may have to read between the lines to get the subtext or to note the characterization that comes through. When between just two characters, these novels are often love letters or the restriction to just two characters will be used to compare the intimacy between these two compared to the rest of the world. When dealing with many characters, which could be many-to-one, one-to-many or many-to-loads, we can compare how one character treats two different characters, what they reveal in one case compared to another. We can also return to the practice of revealing information not revealed to some of the characters and introduce [[Dramatic Irony]].
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See also [[The Rashomon]], [[Literary Agent Hypothesis]] (authors will occasionally credit themselves as "compiler" or similar).
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== [[Fan
* The ''[[Harry Potter]]'' 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, [[Scrapbook Story|it switches to Lee Evans' commentary on it, then Rita Skeeter's article supplies the epilogue]].
== [[Literature]] ==
* Popularised for use in English literature by Samuel Richardson with ''[[Pamela]]'' in 1740 and with ''[[
* [[Older Than Steam]]: The [[Trope Maker]] is ''Prison of Love'' (''Cárcel de amor'') (1485) by Diego de San Pedro.
* ''[[Freedom and Necessity]]'', 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.
* ''[[The Screwtape Letters]]'' by [[
** 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, [[Exactly What It Says
* ''[[Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence]]'' is presented in the form of postcards exchanged between the eponymous characters. (As one character begins to descend into insanity, the astute reader will note that the cards no longer bear postmarks.)
* ''[[The Color Purple]]'', by Alice Walker, is entirely a collection of letters: some addressed to [[God]] (naturally never mailed); some addressed to the heroine's sister; and some from the sister to the heroine.
* ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' (''[[
* ''Dear Enemy'' is composed of letters written to various people, some in response to incoming letters we never see.
* ''[[
* [[Jane Austen]]'s ''[[Lady Susan]]'', which has been compared to ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' above, both for its structure and the similarity between Lady Susan and the Marquise de Merteuil. Also Jane Austen's self-parody ''Love and Freindship'' (Not a misspelling: that's how she spelled the title).
* ''[[
** Perhaps notably, since it is not always noted, the Revelation of John of Patmos consist of letters to various Christian communities: one tries to imagine their reaction on receipt. ("He says he's seen ''what'' now? With how many heads?)
* ''[[We Need to Talk About Kevin]]'' is a series of letters all from one woman, concerning her son, whose disturbed personality gets slowly revealed as each letter passes.
* Anne Frank framed her journal, published as ''Diary of a Girl'', in the form of letters to her imaginary friend Kitty.
* ''[[Daddy
* The Newbery Medal winner ''Dear Mr. Henshaw'' by Beverly Clearly consists entirely of the protagonist's letters to the titular author (as well as his own diary entries).
** All of the 'letters', after the halfway point of the book, are actually diary entries; the protagonist's creative-writing teacher told him to pretend he was writing to someone to make it easier. The dropping of "Dear Mr. Henshaw" at the beginning of entries signifies his getting used to journaling.
* ''[[The Perks of Being a Wallflower]]'', by Stephen Chbosky, is ostensibly the letters of a teenage boy to a stranger.
* ''[[
* ''[[Z for Zachariah]]'' is written in the form of the main protagonist's diary.
* ''[[Dracula]]'' is written as a collection of letters, ship's logs, and diary entries.
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* Jaclyn Moriarty's Ashbury/Brookfield books are possibly the most creative example of epistolary narration. In order of publication, the books are [[Feeling Sorry for Celia]], [[The Year of Secret Assignments]], [[The Murder Of Bindy Mackenzie]], and [[The Ghosts Of Ashbury High]].
* 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 ''[[The Rules of Attraction]]''. {{spoiler|He never replies to any of them.}}
* A modern version: ''[[
* [[Douglas Coupland]]'s ''The Gum Thief'' is comprised of letters between two employees at an office supply store mixed with passages from one of their in-progress novel.
* Steve Kluger's ''My Most Excellent Year'', told in school assignments, websites (Augie updates his to include "Diva of the Month"), emails - the works.
* ''[[
* The first half of [[
* Cecilia Ahern's ''Where Rainbows End'' is written almost solely in letters and e-mails.
* James Mills "Report to the Commissioner" consists entirely of official documents and transcripts
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* "Adam's Song" by Blink182 is a suicide note.
* "A Letter To Elise" by The Cure is, presumably, a letter to Elise.
* For that matter, there's also Tom Waits's [[Exactly What It Says
* "I'm All Right" by [[Twizted]] is a suicide note asking the reader not to mourn.
* "Boots of Spanish Leather" by [[Bob Dylan]] alternates each verse between letters sent by two lovers temporarily separated across the Atlantic.
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== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* ''[[Northern Exposure]]'' had a tie-in book called ''Letters From Cicely'', which was [[Exactly What It Says
== [[Radio]] ==
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[[Category:Narrator Tropes]]
[[Category:Metafiction Demanded This Index]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Mail, Post and Parcel Tropes]]
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