Writers Assistance

[Pengzilla]

Oh, I have got another subject to bring up... Epilogues and Prologues. I don't really get them. What is the point, and when do you think they're most effective?

[Luc]

A prolouge is used as an introuduction to the story, in which you introduce the characters and setting of the story before you begin it, it is usually used for dramas. An epilouge is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature in which you tie up all the lose ends. In Chapter stories, the epilouge is usually the last chapter, epilouges are generally used when the writer decides to end a story gracefully or abruptley, but tying everything off, leaving no questions unanswered. Hope that helps.

[Eli]

Prologues and epilogues are usually used to begin and end a story in a way that is sort of distanced from the story itself. If you have a prologue chapter it's usually not directly linked to the next chapter, like the next chapter doesn't really pick up exactly where the prologue left off like if it had been a regular chapter. Mostly they're effective if you want to add things that kind of need explaining to build sort of a base for your story. Like I said it's often a bit distanced from your main storyline and setting in the other chapters, and they're usually used to make points or messages from the actual story more clear and easier to see. Basically I think you could say that they make it easier to understand the story.

An example off the top of my head is the first chapter in the fourth Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Even though it's not called a prologue or anything in the book, it's very prologue like in my opinion. The chapter "The Riddle House" takes place far away from the rest of the story (mostly) and you get kind of confused when you start reading it, because you don't know any of the characters or even the setting at first. Later the importance of this chapter becomes clear, but when you read it for the first time it does at first sound kind of trivial to the story.

[emmasi]

Isn't Harry seeing that in a dream though? So the next chapter does kind of follow on from it...? It's been ages since I read the book, but that's how it happens in the movie... I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just trying to understand.

[Cerise]

Yeah, it was a dream.

[Eli]

Oh, you're right, I completely forgot is was a dream *feels very stupid* I'll just slowly... walk... away... from... this... thread... I was never here...

[emmasi]

It was a good example if it wasn't a dream

[Cerise]

I usually write Prologues when I want to give a descriptive, more powerful entrance to the story. If I don't write one I usually have a lot of drama or happening in the story. I only write Epilogues if I feel I need to give a message or say something that I can't fit in the last chapter. That's what they mean to me anyway. Lol

[Luc]

A good example for a prolouge would be in Vanity Fair by William Thackeray. it descibes the setting, but isn't directly linked to the next chapter. An example of an epilouge would be in the final Harry Potter book, I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't read it, but it basically finishes the story by describing events that have taken place in between the past 19 years, and ties off everything gracefully.

[emmasi]

^Beat me to it

The story that we were following ended in the last chapter, and then there was an epilogue after that to explain how everyone was getting on with their lives years later. A sort of "where are they now?" thing after the main story was over.

Edited March 29, 2008 by emmasi