Prologues & Epilogues: Are They Necessary? // Let’s Talk Bookish

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion where we discuss certain topics based on prompts allocated for each Friday of the week. You basically share your opinions and get into the conversation by visiting each other’s posts. You can find the July schedule here or here.

Today’s Let’s Talk Bookish topic is Epilogues & Prologues: Are They Necessary?, which was suggested by Fives @ Down the Rabbit Hole.

I find this week’s topic intriguing simply because I never questioned the existence of the prologue or the epilogue of the countless books I have read in my lifetime so far! Am I the only who has done this? Please tell me I’m not! Anyway, since this is something completely new to me I made sure I did plenty of research and dove into this topic with a passion!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAVING SOMETHING AS A PROLOGUE VERSUS A CHAPTER ONE?

Since this is my first time putting in serious thought into this I looked this up and came across this great article. Looking back on all the stories I have read so far, this seems pretty obvious, but a prologue has a distinct set of purposes that it sets out to fulfill while a first chapter aims at starting off the main story. Chapter one would always serve as chapter one in any book you pick up, but a prologue would either:

• Set the book’s tone;
• Provide the reader with some integral background information or backstory;
• Foreshadow something that would come about; or
• Establish a POV.

From an author’s perspective (not that I would ever be awesome enough to be one!), I think the main attraction is the different possibilities of how they could start off their story. It is a lot more exciting and interesting than jumping straight into the main story, for both the reader and the author.

IS IT TOO MUCH TO HAVE BOTH A PROLOGUE AND AN EPILOGUE?

In my opinion, nope, because they serve different purposes (check out this article on epilogues!). Ultimately, both prologues and epilogues are separate from the main story.

A prologue or an epilogue would only serve to be too much if it either does not contribute or tally with the main story, in my opinion.

HOW DOES HAVING ONE (OR BOTH) AFFECT HOW READERS PERCEIVE THE STORY?

A prologue can usually serve many purposes, as I have highlighted above, so this literary device really takes the cake when it comes to setting the scene of a story. We place a lot of emphasis on first impressions right? So, prologues that really capture the target audience are gold. That might be a really creepy prologue for a Gothic horror, or a more fantastical vibe for a fantasy romance, or something more fast-paced for a good ol’ thriller.

An epilogue is more of a standalone short story set after the main story ends but it just gives us a brief glimpse of the main characters and we get to see how they are doing now and maybe hints of a sequel? I always feel like epilogues are a wonderful love letter to the main characters and the world that I/we loved and read about so passionately. I almost always smile wistfully or cry sweet tears of happiness while reading these sections, and they are just the best!

DO YOU THINK EPILOGUES HAVE MORE VALUE BECAUSE THEY MIGHT TIE UP LOOSE ENDS? DO PROLOGUES HAVE MORE VALUE BECAUSE THEY SET THE SCENE? DO YOU PREFER HAVING NEITHER?

Honestly, no such thing! Personally, I always looked looked at them as totally separate entities from the main story, so I never even examined them under the microscope until this discussion topic came up. Prologues have always made a story more interesting to me because it adds that extra layer of intrigue and raises questions in my mind that I spend time finding answers to while reading. Then epilogues are just pure love letters to me, okay? I cradle them to my heart and curl up on my bed and cry. I have always loved epilogues because they are endings and those are just precious little things, okay?

I had loads of fun writing this post and I’m so curious about what everyone else contributed to this week’s Let’s Talk Bookish! Feel free to start a conversation below and let’s have some fun!

My previous Let’s Talk Bookish posts:

• June 25: Good Covers Versus Good Content
• June 18: Appreciation for Book Bloggers
• April 23: How Reading Affects My Mental Health
• April 16: What Makes Me Pick Up A Book
• April 2: Putting Off Books You Actually Want To Read