This week we explored how the epistolary form can be seen in children’s novels. I thought this was really fun because it made me realize how many of the books I grew up with had an epistolary component to them in some form. For example, a book series that I’m sure many of us grew up reading is the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Many integral moments in that series center around letters. One could argue that the most crucial moment in the first book is when Harry gets his Hogwarts letter. That letter is so vital because without it, Harry wouldn’t learn that he is a wizard and ultimately defeat Voldemort.
Perhaps a more niche example of an epistolary novel is Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. For those who are unfamiliar, this YA book centers on the protagonist, Stargirl, as she writes, “the world’s longest letter” to her ex boyfriend, Leo. She uses this long letter as a journal/ diary where she shares her personal thoughts, feelings, and reflections. As much as I like this story, I don’t think that Spinelli does a good job of writing it in the epistolary format. Spinelli uses each letter that Stargirl writes as a way to break up what in a regular novel would be the chapters. This means that some letters are 30 pages long; acceptable for a chapter, but not realistic for a letter.
The final example I can think of that utilizes the epistolary format is Dracula by Bram Stoker. I’m sure that many of us have seen movies with the mysterious vampire, Dracula, but I’m most interested in the actual novel. What’s so compelling about Stoker’s novel is the way that the story is structured. It is not a simple narrative, rather the audience reads various letters, memos and telegrams which slowly unravels more and more layers of the mystery. These layers cannot really be visualized in movies, which is one of the unfortunate detriments of even the best Dracula movies. Also, by having the book in the epistolary format, you really get to see how much time passes and you can imagine the suspense the characters would be feeling if they had to wait months between each letter, unsure of what dangers lay ahead.
Overall, I thought that reading epistolary children’s stories was really fun because I realized that the epistolary form is not limited to one age group or another.
