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.
Is the prologue the first chapter?
A prologue comes before the first chapter of a novel. It is part of the narrative and serves to set up the main story, provides some vital information, and prepares the reader for what is to come.
What is the beginning of a book called?
Preface
A preface, prologue, and foreword are all a part of a book’s front matter, the introductory pages of a book before the main text—often numbered with Roman numerals—that include the title page and table of contents.
Is prologue before the story?
Prologue is the section of a novel that comes before the true beginning of the story (pro logos, before the words). It can consist of a few lines or be as long as a chapter (though if you’re going to write a chapter, consider making it a real chapter rather than a prologue).
Does prologue come before or after?
A prologue is a scene that comes before the story. It’s something of import but something that doesn’t flow with the chronology of the story.
What is the beginning of a chapter called?
Prologue (for fiction)
Indeed, many prologues contain intriguing events that only become contextualized later in the story.
What comes next after prologue?
The word epilogue comes from the Greek epilogos, which means “conclusion word.” It always comes at the end of a literary work and is therefore the opposite of a prologue, which always comes at the beginning. As with the prologue, the epilogue originated with Greek playwrights and poets.
What is the beginning of a story?
Introduction. The beginning of a story is where the author introduces the five important questions: WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN and WHERE. They familiarise the reader with the characters, the plot, and the time zone. They give a general idea of what the reader has to expect from the narrative.
What comes before a prologue?
Preface – An introduction written by the main author(s) to provide the story behind how they conceived and wrote the book.
What are the 5 beginning parts of a book?
The front matter includes:
- Title page. The title page contains the title of the book, the subtitle, the author or authors, and the publisher.
- Copyright page.
- Dedication.
- Table of contents.
- Foreword.
- Acknowledgments.
- Preface or Introduction.
- Prologue.
What is the first page of a book called?
The title page
The title page is one of the first pages in any book. It signals the beginning of the front matter and shares the title, subtitle, author, and publisher. Of course, not all books these days have a publisher. And many books don’t have a subtitle.
What is opposite of a prologue?
The opposite of prologue is called epilogue.
Is prologue same as introduction?
The Prologue
Prologues act as introductions that tell readers more about the setting, scene, characters, or overall topic. They start the story, but at a different point in time than the first chapter would. It’s often where a writer introduces backstory for their characters.
What’s the purpose of a prologue?
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.
How long is usually a prologue?
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. “I don’t mind prologues if they fit the story, and I do like them fairly short,” says agent Andrea Hurst, president of Andrea Hurst & Associates.
What is difference between 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.
What do you call the first page of a chapter?
All pages in the principle text have arabic numbers, and the first page of actual content is page 1 (this may be chapter 1 or an introduction or prologue). Front matter pages are numbered from 1 through whatever page is necessary, but the page numbers appear as lowercase roman numerals.
What is the first chapter in a book?
It’s the chapter that introduces your book to the world – the chapter that needs to hook readers, agents and publishers alike. (No pressure or anything!) Unfortunately, there’s no predetermined formula for a perfect first chapter. Every story is different, and so is every opening chapter.
What do you call the summary at the beginning of a book?
The summary of a book is called a synopsis. It shows an overview of the story and answers the question, “what is your book about?” Also, it serves as a way to pitch your book to a potential agent or publisher.
Is prologue the end?
Prologue is put at the beginning of a story. It introduces the world described in a story and main characters. Epilogue is located at the end of a story. It describes events which happened after all the plots had been finished.
What is it called when a story starts at the end?
Ouroboros: Like a snake eating its tail, a story that twists back on itself so that, depending on your perspective, the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning.