The relevance of the research problem is caused by the lack of a single complete system for determining the subgenre differences in the epistolary genre in literary criticism. Thus, this research is devoted to the problem of clarification of the difference between epistolary literature and epistolary journalism in their development over time. The comparative analysis of the main aspects of the epistolary genre of fiction and journalism was conducted. The research also provided a survey of 360 respondents: 180 writers and 180 journalists. The aim of the questionnaire was to confirm or to refute the hypothesis: there are some key differences between epistolary literature and epistolary journalism, which suggest that they are two varieties a single of the epistolary genre. Moreover, the paper bridges the gaps in the epistolary terminology. The content of the paper will be useful to journalists, researchers of the epistolary genre, and literary critics.

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