What Is a Prologue?
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. Its purpose is to introduce important information that has a connection to the main story, but whose relevance is not immediately obvious. A good prologue contains information that is — or will be — important to understanding the plot.
It should not be confused with other front matter elements, such as a preface or an introduction:
A preface gives the reader a look at how the book came to be. It explains the goal of the book, its development, and acknowledges the parties who contributed to the book. It’s mostly used in non-fiction, sometimes in fiction.
An introduction deals specifically with the subject of the book. It might offer supplemental information or explain the perspective of the writer(s).
While a preface doesn’t typically contain information vital to the reader’s understanding of the book, an introduction usually does. It’s mostly used in non-fiction.
Functions of a Prologue
A good prologue performs one of many functions in a story:
- Foreshadowing events to come, thereby creating suspense for the reader and get them asking questions (and eagerly reading on). This includes offering critical information the reader couldn’t otherwise glean from the plot. The prologue could even offer glimpses of the future.
- Providing background or history on the central theme or main events, describing what took place before the beginning of your story. These earlier events then go on to significantly impact the storyline going forward. The writer now has a quick, economic and convenient way of providing important background information without the need of flashbacks, dialogue, or memories that interrupt the flow later on in the book.
- Showcasing the ‘inciting incident’, the event that thrusts the main character into the heart of the story, and sets off a chain of events, even if they don’t yet know it. Many such incidents take place during the opening chapters of a story, but some occur before the story begins — often without the main character’s knowledge. When the latter is the case, a prologue that gives readers a glimpse of the inciting incident can be a great way to pique their interest and, perhaps, create dramatic irony.
- Establishing a point of view (POV), either the main character’s or another character’s, one who is privy to the tale. This function works well when a particular character’s insight is only needed once and provides a foundation for the story. A ‘different POV’ style of prologue describes a certain event from a point-of-view different to that of the main characters of the story. This event may occur in the same timeframe as the plot or years before or after. Its relevance may be made clear early in the novel or towards to end. However, it must have relevance and affect the plot substantially in some way. A ‘different POV’ prologue should be written in the third-person, even if the novel is in the first-person.
- Setting the tone for the rest of the story and to introduce a philosophy, belief system, cultural environment, milieu, etc. that is important to the plot/setting. Most editors, though, would recommend that if you’re simply including a prologue to set the tone/mood or establish the world of the story, consider doing so in Chapter One instead. A prologue needs to somehow propel or impact your main plot: its first duty is to supply information that is or will be vital to the understanding of the plot. If you solely want to ‘create atmosphere’, write an epigraph rather than a prologue. The mood of your novel needs to be made clear in Chapter One anyway, so you may as well do it properly within the novel.
- Hooking the reader into the action right away, having them asks questions relevant to the central plot — and therefore eager to learn those answers in the opening chapters. Once again, most editors would recommend not throwing the readers right into the middle of an action scene simply to hook them; it can be confusing, even disorienting. Think about developing the scene fully within the rich context of a chapter instead.
- Creating dramatic irony, a form of suspense that occurs when readers are privy to valuable knowledge that the main characters do not have. Often an antagonist is introduced in this style of prologue.
- Introducing the antagonist — providing background motives that either humanises the character or exhibits their evil intentions. This angle can be handy if the protagonist doesn’t meet the antagonist until later on in the book.
- Introducing the protagonist: The ‘future protagonist’ prologue shows the hero some time after the main part of the plot has taken place, and it is written in the same point-of-view and style as the rest of the novel. The ‘past protagonist’ prologue is generally used when the protagonist has a defining moment in their past which must be known to the reader, in order for the reader to understand this character.
When to Use a Prologue
The first question you need to ask is: “Does my novel need a prologue?”
A prologue is used when ‒
- Material that you want to include in the opening is out of time sequence with the rest of the story. Or, the scene occurs in a very different place or setting to events in the main story. In either instance, the event that is related in the prologue then shapes or has an impact on the rest of the story.
- It is important for certain information to be revealed upfront and it can’t be revealed throughout the story in smaller trickles and still be as impactful.
- The character’s POV does not come up again later in the story (e.g. the murder victim), or if it does, it would be confusing for the reader if it had not been included earlier, in the prologue.
Don’t use the prologue as an opportunity for a massive information dump ‒ readers will switch off and become bored or restless. The key is to create a balance between revealing information and maintaining, even stimulating, interest.
Final Words
To make sure your prologue works well, you can put it through a simple two-step test: First, try to leave it out and see if anything important is missing, and second, try to change its title to ‘Chapter One, and check if the plot integrity is damaged. If you’ve answered both questions with a yes, then your prologue is doing a good job.
The prologue should always be an integral part of your novel, written in the same tone/mood and style. Otherwise, it’s a personal preface rather than an opening chapter. Also, keep it interesting and keep it brief: your prologue shouldn’t be longer than your average chapter length. A prologue should read exactly as if you were writing a short story without a true ending — your prologue should leave the reader questioning and curious.
