Books made of letters
As you may know, epistolary fiction are novels where most, or all, of the story is told through letters, diary entries and/or other documents. One or more characters tell the story from their own perspective, often without the omnipresence of a narrator. This being a subjective point of view of writing, it provides immediacy and authenticity to a story.
This form of writing was particularly popular throughout the 18th Century, with Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula, being perhaps the most successful novel of all time using this format. Although the art of letter writing is fast disappearing, some modern epistolary novels, such as Where rainbows end by Cecilia Ahern have incorporated emails, will blogs and twitter posts be next? This format of writing continues to be used successfully in contemporary fiction. Here is a selection of titles to try.
Carrie by Stephen king
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The diary of a young girl by Ann Frank
Frankenstein: or the modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley
Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
The perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Possession: a romance by A.S. Byatt
We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
The white tiger by Aravind Adiga
World War Z: an oral history of the zombie war. by Max Brooks
Do these books sound familar? They each have another thing in common... they have all been made into movies! You can read the book then watch the movie. For a chance to win two movie tickets and a book voucher, enter the Sutherland Library Books vs Movies - Which do you prefer? competition. In 25 words or less, write which format you prefer, the book or the movie, and why. Entry forms are available from Sutherland Library, near the circulation desk. Entries close 31st August.
