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Literature vocabulary · Genres and Forms

Epistolary novel

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In literature, epistolary novel means: A novel told through letters, and sometimes also diary entries or documents, rather than standard continuous narration.

In Turkish: mektup roman

How it is used

Used in genre discussion for works built from correspondence or documents. It often creates intimacy, multiple viewpoints, and gaps in knowledge.

Example sentences

  1. For her thesis, Aylin chose an epistolary novel because the letters reveal each character’s bias more clearly than narration would.

    The term matters here because the letter format shapes characterization by letting readers compare separate personal accounts.

  2. The publisher’s note describes the book as an epistolary novel assembled from emails, postcards, and hospital reports.

    In this example, the phrase covers a document-based narrative structure, even though the materials extend beyond traditional letters.

Common collocations

  • classic epistolary novel
  • an epistolary novel by
  • epistolary novel form
  • novelA long story written in prose that describes imaginary people and events, usually long enough to fill a whole book and to develop characters in detail.
  • fictionStories, such as novels and short stories, that describe imaginary events and people rather than real ones.

More terms: Genres and Forms

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