Epistolary

Epistolary describes a narrative technique in which a story is told through documents such as letters, diaries, emails, or other recorded communications. The term derives from Latin epistola, meaning "letter." The form can appear as a sequence of letters exchanged between characters, or as documents compiled by an editor to tell a narrative. By presenting events through the lens of correspondents, the epistolary mode often raises issues of reliability, perspective, and secrecy, and it can accommodate multiple voices.

Historically, epistolary writing flourished in the 18th century, especially in English and French literature. Early exemplars include collections of letters and moral dialogues, while the modern epistolary novel emerged with Samuel Richardson’s Pamela (1740) and Clarissa (1748–1749), which frame a story through a protected female voice and correspondence. Later authors used the form to explore romance, social critique, and psychology. The form was adaptable to other genres and periods, and it remains common in Gothic fiction, science fiction, and women’s fiction. Frankenstein (1818) uses letters from Walton and the narration within, and Dracula (1897) largely unfolds through diary entries, letters, and ship logs, illustrating how epistolary devices can create immediacy and suspense.

In contemporary usage, epistolary works extend to diaries, email exchanges, epistolary novels, and mixed-media texts, reflecting broader communication practices. The term may also apply to poetry or documentary novels built from letters, reports, or other documents. Epistolary writing continues to be valued for its intimate approach, reliability questions, and structural flexibility.