What does epistolary mean? How were epistolary novels written?

What does epistolary mean? How were epistolary novels written?
Answer:
Epistolary is written in the form of series of letters. The epistolary novel, used the private and personal form of letters to tell its story. Samuel Richardson’s Pamela written in the 18th century told much of its story through an exchange of letters between two lovers. These letters tell the readers of the hidden conflicts in the heroine’s mind.