The Greek word prologos, which means “before the word,” is where we get our word prologue.
In literature, the prologue is located in the front of a book before the first chapter— you know, the one you skip sometimes to get to the good stuff—I admit it. I’m guilty, too.
Not a good idea, by the way. Well-written prologues add value. I have mended my ways.
Prologues are most common in fiction, but they can also pop up in narrative nonfiction like biographies and memoirs.
Authors use this small section—a few paragraphs to a page or two—to set up the story by giving some background information about the character and the setting, like in
Shakespeare’s famous “Romeo and Juliet.”
Two households, both alike in dignity
(In fair Verona, where we lay our scene),
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-marked love
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove,
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;
The which, if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Admittedly, this prologue is a spoiler for the entire play, but Shakespeare knew what he was doing.
He carefully crafted his opening words to share just enough of the plot to pique interest but not give everything away—not like many of today’s movie trailers, which put all the best parts in the trailer and leave you confused at the box office.
What makes a good prologue?
The best prologues set the tone of the book.
For example, The Dry by Jane Harper is about a federal agent who goes back to his hometown during a severe drought to reluctantly investigate his best friend’s death.
The author offers a prologue that bypasses the main character and instead focuses on the atmosphere in which the main character will find himself.
It wasn’t as though the farm hadn’t seen death before, and the blowflies didn’t discriminate. To them there was little difference between a carcass and a corpse.
*The drought had left the flies spoiled for choice that summer.
They sought out unblinking eyes and sticky wounds as the farmers of Kiewarra leveled their rifles at skinny livestock. No rain meant no feed. And no feed made for difficult decisions as the tiny town shimmered under day after day of burning blue sky.
“It’ll break,” the farmers said as the months ticked over into a second year. They repeated the words out loud to each other like a mantra, and under their breaths to themselves like a prayer…
How are prologues used in nonfiction?
And prologues aren’t just for fiction. In nonfiction, they are a good way to offer backstory.
In You Never Know by Tim Selleck with Ellis Henican, the prologue paints a picture of how Selleck learned some of his most valuable lessons during his childhood. He wraps up one poignant memory with the following,
…These memories are still crystal clear in my mind. And I think that’s the point in all this. The lessons you experience, not the ones you are simply told, are the ones you remember most clearly…
These are so many more books that include prologues worth reading.
Prologue types
Prologues can be divided into several categories:
- Unique point of view – Seeing a story through the eyes of someone other than the main character can create intrigue and curiosity. Perspectives are unique to each individual, so what one sees may or may not be the full story.
- Recall – This type of prologue looks at past events so that you can see the main story within its proper context. Under the Magnolias by T.I. Lowe is a great example.
- Foreshadowing – similar to the prologue example of Romeo and Juliet, foreshadowing gives you insight into what is about to happen. Where the Crawdads Sing by Julia Owens is another good example of foreshadowing with a prologue.
- Expository – Some stories have a lot happening, like fantasies with extensive world-building. You need a good prologue to set up the background and history so you don’t get lost in the story.
- Theme or mood – Like in the example of The Dry, a prologue can be used to set the tone of a story. If you’ve ever started watching a movie, and asked yourself, “Is this supposed to be a comedy? I thought it was a drama,” a prologue would have helped answer that question.
Prologue vs. Epilogue, Preface, Forward, Prelude and Introduction
When it comes to how you introduce your main story, there’s a lot to consider. It’s easy to get the types of front matter used to introduce the story confused. Here are their definitions.
Epilogue – While the prologue comes at the beginning of a book, your epilogue comes after the story. It’s the “wrap-up” or the transition that lets you know that something else is coming (i.e., the next book.)
Preface – This is the insight that comes from the author. It can be the hows, whys, or whens of the writing process or all of them. It’s a way for the author to pull the reader into his or her world and give them a glimpse of their process. You’ll usually find prefaces in nonfiction, but they may also show up in fiction.
Foreword – Not not be confused with forward, the foreword of a book is written by a subject matter expert or someone who is familiar with the author and can speak to their credibility and qualifications for writing the book.
Introduction – You’ll find introductions in nonfiction books. They are written by the author and give the reader additional information and context for the story. This is different from a preface where the author focuses more on their story development process.
What to remember
Each part of a book plays an important role in its overall appeal, so every section should be balanced and play its proper role.
Every book doesn’t need a prologue, but many of the best books in literature have them.
If you choose to add one to your book, remember to give the reader just enough to spark curiosity, but not so much that it drags down the pace of the story before it even begins.