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

Hey, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. This Let’s Talk Bookish post is a day late, but I had an exam I had to take yesterday and was studying Thursday so I didn’t have time to finish writing. But I finished it yesterday, so here it is! Bonus points to anyone who knows what book I took the prologue from in the featured image 😉

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and is hosted by Rukky and Dani @ Literary Lion where we discuss various topics and share our opinions. Today’s topic is Prologues and Epilogues: Are They Necessary? (suggested by Fives @ Down the Rabbit Hole).

My most straightforward answer is no–prologues and epilogues aren’t a must have. In some situations, they’re a nice element to add to the beginning or end of the book. In others, they’re not that important; the book may even benefit from not having one. I think it depends on the book and its storyline, as well as what goes into the prologue or epilogue.

What is included in a prologue or epilogue, especially a prologue, can make or break a reader’s decision of whether like the book or not. At least, in my opinion it does. I think this is more important in prologues, since that’s what readers see first. There are some prologues that have actual stories and tell the reader something that may be vital later in the book. Those are probably interesting. However, there are also prologues that are a bit info-dumpy and readers are more likely to stop reading if they get bored from all the information they’re getting.

With epilogues, I don’t really have an opinion on them. I haven’t read too many books that have epilogues in them. Some books with mark them as an epilogue or simply say ‘chapter whatever number they’re on’. Again, I think they’re helpful in some books, and in others, it wouldn’t hurt if they weren’t included.

What’s the difference between having something as a prologue vs. a chapter 1?

Prologues are typically set in a different time from the rest of the book or from a different character’s perspective. What happens in this scene may be an important element later on in the story. I feel like marking something as a prologue versus chapter 1 lets the reader know ‘this isn’t what the rest of the book is like’ or ‘this is something different from the rest of the story’. It sets that one section apart from the main content of the story.

Is it too much to have both a prologue and epilogue?

I haven’t read any books that have both a prologue and an epilogue (at least I don’t think I have), but I could see how that might be a little much. Though, I don’t think it’s a bad thing if a book has both.

How does having one (or both) affect how readers perceive the story?

Some people don’t like prologues, so if a book has a prologue, they may like the book less. Same goes for epilogues. On the other hand, prologues sometimes help readers understand some part of the story. Maybe something happened a while ago that’s a vital part of the story in a later part, and it would help the reader know what that something is. Leaving a person totally confused on what’s going on is not the best idea.

Do you think epilogues have more value because they might tie up loose ends? Do prologues have more value because they can set the scene?

I don’t think one has more value over the other, they each have their own pros and cons. For epilogues, sometimes they tie up loose ends and end the story at a spot where it’s comfortable. A place where the reader won’t say “but what about this character?” or “what happened to so-and-so who was hanging off a cliff?” Other times, I don’t think they really “tie up loose ends”, but they more just end the story at a comfortable place and you can kind of guess what the characters do next.

As for prologues, I don’t really think they set scenes. I mean, they do, but it’s usually a different scene. From prologues I’ve read, they take place in the future, maybe the aftermath of some big event, or they take place in the past, something that will be an important element later on. Or they’re told from a different perspective from the protagonist. I think prologues help the reader get a sense of what’s going on. I mean, some prologues can be kind of confusing, but overall, they let the reader in on what’s happening, what happened, or what will happen.

Conclusion

Overall, I think it depends on the book and whether or not having a prologue and/or epilogue will benefit the readers. I enjoy books with them, I enjoy books without them. I don’t think either of them are bad; I generally base it more off of what goes into a certain prologue or epilogue. I may like a prologue from this book better than the prologue from that book.

What do you think about prologues and epilogues? Do you prefer one over the other?
Chat with me in the comments below!