An epistolary is a literary genre, most commonly found in novels and short stories that uses letters, diary entries, interviews, newspaper clippings, telegrams, and other documents to tell a story.

Noun – Epistle

Adverb – Epistolarily

Etymology: The term “epistolary” comes from the Latin word “epistola,” which means “letter.” With this meaning, an epistolary is a type of narrative that consists of installments or letters.

Originally people wrote epistolary stories in letters because it was hard to write them on paper. However, as time went on, it became more readily available, the genre changed significantly.

The epistolary genre has many different variations because people can use it for many different purposes. For example, some stories are short, while others can be long-winded. Some stories are to entertain, while others are to educate their audience about a specific topic.

In a Sentence

The lady wrote the letter in an epistolary style.

Don’t forget to have a good time as we think back on your epistolary life.

A man sat at his desk looking forlornly at his epistolary pile.