Prologue

Definition

A prologue in a publishing sense, is an introductory section that comes before the actual written story or book. It precedes the main story; the prologue typically provides background context for the main plot and establishes the overall tone. The purpose of prologues is varied it can be made to create suspense, provide a different point of view, or to give a backstory or context. It provides a promise to the reader of what to expect in the following pages. Whether that's a direct statement, or an indirect and relative story of script of information similar to the text. It is essentially 'the story before the story'.

Prologue Placement

Although prologues are typically placed at the very beginning of a book, before the story is told, they can be important in other sections as well. They are typically placed before chapter one; however, if a story has more than one part, there may be a second prologue in the middle of the story, or before the extension of the story is to occur. This may create a distinction and help guide the reader through the plot line as it hints a new section is occurring.