The Envelope Attached to Literature

On World Letter Writing Day on 1 September, I'm not going to tell you to grab a pen and paper and start writing a letter. Instead, I want to talk about how this enjoyable and important activity features in literature.

An epistolary novel is a type of novel in which the story is told through documents such as letters, diaries and newspaper clippings — or, in modern versions, emails. Other recorded texts can also fall into this category. These texts may be based on real-life examples, as in Letters to Milena, or they may be fictionalised versions created by the characters in the work.

The narrative can be shaped entirely through letters. An entire work can be created by collecting and transcribing letters written by one person or exchanged between two people. Conversely, letters may appear in certain parts of a work, serving as supplements without affecting the whole. It is a flexible form that varies depending on the author's preference.

While writing about this topic, I wondered why authors resort to this approach. I jotted down my thoughts as they came to me. If you would like to contribute, please add your thoughts in the comments.

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Firstly, if we consider the possibility that a body of work could consist entirely of correspondence, this form of communication can offer a glimpse into the lives of the people involved. In the past, letters were sent to specific addresses, with some reaching their destination and others going unanswered. Until they fell out of favour, however, letters were an integral part of our lives, giving rise to various loves, sorrows, and exchanges of ideas. The fact that such an effective form of communication was archived, compiled and shared with readers — particularly after the authors' deaths — enables us to understand their literary and human sides.

However, as mentioned, these letters could also have been created entirely within a fictional context. Like fictional characters, these letters, voiced by the writers and put into words, can feature in our own fiction. In my opinion, this is an effective way to make the flow of events seem more realistic. The sudden appearance of a letter in a character's hands in an ongoing narrative can create the feeling of a concrete intervention in the story. Although I continue to focus on letters, I believe that the other types I mentioned can create a similar perception. This is particularly the case if they are relevant to the subject matter. For instance, a newspaper clipping can have a more fitting and distinctive impact.

The more I thought about it, the more I realised that this form actually has a distinctive quality. Imagine if this envelope were revealed to us, the readers, at the very end of the story. Until then, there's nothing like it. Suddenly, we see this piece of paper, which holds the secrets and answers we've been looking for. This intriguing addition gives us the chance to hear the views of a character whose name may not even have been mentioned throughout the story. We don't need to know their personality or who they are related to. They and their letter have such an impact on the narrative that we suddenly find ourselves focused on a whole new character, eager to hear their perspective. They draw us in and we read on without interruption.

Two more useful aspects come to mind. Firstly, unlike the above, it can add depth to a character. A character with a stern gaze and an emotionless appearance might never express their feelings or declare their love to their loved ones. However, at a certain point in the book, we discover their notes and learn that they are actually emotional, but introverted and shy. We would never grasp this from the flow of events alone. These kinds of fictional additions give authors the opportunity to reveal what they have hidden about their characters, thereby changing our perception of both the characters and the events.

Finally, I think its effect on narrative variety can be related to the concept of time. For instance, if an author wishes to adopt a different perspective, they can do so by basing the narrative on different time periods. Sometimes we find ourselves in one period and sometimes in another. However, thanks to additional narrative forms, such as a character's diary, letters or notes, we can witness the process unfolding from start to finish. In other words, this form enables the story to be told chronologically. Conversely, events can be approached through time skips or flashbacks. This makes it easier for us to learn the details.

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Building on these thoughts, I considered which genres this style of narration is most commonly used in.

Romantic and emotional novels are undoubtedly tailor-made for it. Feelings that lovers cannot express to each other have the opportunity to emerge through this method. Similarly, as it contains an element of mystery, it is evident that it can also be found in detective and crime novels.

Given the presentation of mysterious narratives and the sharing of stories, it could also be argued that it is present in horror, gothic and thriller novels. If the other forms we have mentioned contain academic commentary or excerpts, it would be natural to use this style in the science fiction and satire genres as well.

I would like to share some novels that come to mind when I think of this style of writing, regardless of whether I have read them or not.

An example of a letter found at the beginning of Mary Shelley's famous work “Frankenstein.”

Another example of Gothic literature is the diary excerpt featured in Bram Stoker's “Dracula.”

From a different perspective, Daniel Keyes' novel “Flowers for Algernon” consists entirely of personal progress reports recorded almost daily.

Last example can be found in Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar's novel “Kesik Baş”. The 30-page confession letter at the end resolves the mystery of the book, leaving a striking impression.

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All right, all right, you can write a letter today if you want to. However, I wanted to remind you that this beautiful tool is also used in literature. Sometimes, when reading, we come across things that are so fascinating that we can only fully appreciate their significance in hindsight. These interpretations can actively shape our reading experience, altering our perception of a book and potentially changing the course of our reading journey.