What is a prologue in a story?

What is a prologue in a story?

A prologue is a piece of writing found at the beginning of a literary work, before the first chapter and separate from the main story.

What is a prologue and why is it used?

A prologue is used to give readers extra information that advances the plot. It is included in the front matter and for a good reason! Authors use them for various purposes, including: Giving background information about the story.

Why do prologues exist?

Why should you write a prologue? If something happened far out of the context of your story that is CRUCIAL to understanding it. If you have the information you must convey to the reader that can’t be worked into the main novel, you may need a prologue. If the story doesn’t make sense without the prologue.

Are prologues good or bad?

Prologues aren’t all bad. In fact, they come in handy in a number of scenarios: To provide a “quick-and-dirty” glimpse of important background information without the need of flashbacks, dialogue, or memories that interrupt the action later on in the book.

Why do agents hate prologues?

That’s why you want to know as much about them as you possibly if you’re going to try getting their attention. Most literary agents hate prologues. Because, at the risk of being repetitive, most literary agents hate prologues.

What is the opposite of the prologue?

epilogue
The opposite is a prologue—a piece of writing at the beginning of a work of literature or drama, usually used to open the story and capture interest. Some genres, for example television programs and video games, call the epilogue an “outro” patterned on the use of “intro” for “introduction”.

How long should a prologue be in a novel?

The length of a prologue depends on the nature of the story, but it’s best to keep it trim. One to five pages should suffice.

Should my novel have a prologue?

If you have the information you must convey to the reader that can’t be worked into the main novel, you may need a prologue. If the story doesn’t make sense without the prologue. If you can remove the prologue (or a reader can skip it), and their understanding is not damaged, a prologue is not necessary.

What is the purpose of an epilogue and a prologue?

While a prologue aims at giving exposure to the reader about the world of the characters of the story, the aim of the epilogue is to satisfy the curiosity of the readers , as to what happened with the characters afterwards. The prologue is used to provide additional information to the audience, which facilitates them to understand the plot better.

What is an epilogue and prologue?

The main difference between prologue and epilogue is that prologue is situated at the beginning of the story whereas epilogue is situated at the end of the story; the prologue comes before the story, and the epilogue comes after the story. Based on this main difference, some other differences can be also noted between these two sections.

What is the definition of prologue and epilogue?

A prologue is an independent front matter of the novel , which gives an opening hint to the reader, as to what the story is all about. On the contrary, an epilogue implies a literary device, which is an additional and independent part of the literary work, which concludes the story.