The prologue is a text that precedes a written work and offers the reader two elements: an introduction and first glimpse into the work’s content, and a presentation of its author. For example, Umberto Eco’s prologue to 1984 (a novel written by George Orwell in 1949).
Prologues are essay-like in tone—they are never fictional—and their inclusion is not mandatory. They are of a relatively limited length, and their author generally does not coincide with the work’s author. The prologue writer is usually someone familiar with the subject matter addressed in the text, or even its author. Thus, they provide the reader with additional information that enhances their reading experience or helps them understand the context in which the work was written and published. However, on other occasions, the author of the work may write the prologue.
A single written work may have more than one prologue in a single edition. These prologues may even be written by different authors. When this happens, the year and edition of each prologue are specified.
Any written work can be accompanied by a prologue, whether it be anthologies, collections of poems or short stories , novels , plays , essays , theses, academic books, scientific studies, compilations of chronicles or letters, or film scripts.
Elements of the prologue
- Textual quotations . These usually include excerpts from the prologued work to give greater weight to the prologue writer’s arguments .
- Chronology . This may include a timeline of the work’s content or the author’s life and work.
- Personal assessments . The prologue author includes judgments, opinions, or assessments about the work being prologued.
- Third-party considerations . It often incorporates observations and comments made by other authors, critics, or authorities regarding the work with the prologue.
The structure of prologues
- Introduction . Includes information necessary to further your reading and understanding of the prologue. The prologue writer details how he or she knows the author, how he or she approached the work, why he or she considers it significant, and how he or she approached the text.
- Development . The arguments supporting the author’s appreciation of the prologue’s work are presented. This is achieved by using external comments or direct quotations.
- Closing . The prologue writer seeks to encourage the reader to engage in the work. To do so, he or she uses ideas, images, comments, and observations.
Prologue examples
- Prologue by Jean Paul Sartre to The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
“When Fanon, on the other hand, says that Europe is hurtling toward perdition, far from sounding the alarm, he makes a diagnosis. This doctor doesn’t intend to condemn it without recourse—other miracles have been seen—nor to give it the means to heal; he verifies that it is dying, from the outside, based on the symptoms he has been able to gather. As for curing it, no: he has other concerns; it doesn’t matter to him whether it sinks or survives. That’s why his book is scandalous (…).”
- Prologue by Julio Cortázar to Complete Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
“The year 1847 showed Poe struggling with ghosts, relapsing into opium and alcohol, clinging to a completely spiritual adoration of Marie Louise Shew, who had won his affection during Virginia’s agony. She later recounted that ‘The Bells’ was born from a dialogue between them. She also recounted Poe’s daytime deliriums, his imaginary tales of travels to Spain and France, his duels, his adventures. Mrs. Shew admired Edgar’s genius and held the man in profound esteem. (…)”
- Prologue by Ernesto Sábato to Never Again , a book by the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons (Conadep)
“With sadness, with pain, we have fulfilled the mission entrusted to us by the Constitutional President of the Republic. This task was very arduous, because we had to piece together a dark puzzle, many years after the events occurred, when all traces had been deliberately erased, all documentation burned, and even buildings demolished. We have had to rely, therefore, on the complaints of family members, on the statements of those who were able to escape from hell, and even on the testimony of repressors who, for obscure reasons, approached us to share what they knew (…)”
- Prologue by Gabriel García Márquez to Habla Fide, by Gianni Mina
“Two things caught the attention of those of us who were hearing Fidel Castro for the first time. One was his terrible power of seduction. The other was the fragility of his voice. A hoarse voice that sometimes seemed breathless. A doctor listening to him gave a sensational dissertation on the nature of these weaknesses, and concluded that even without Amazonian speeches like the one that day, Fidel Castro was doomed to lose his voice within five years. Shortly thereafter, in August 1962, the prognosis seemed to give its first warning sign, when he fell silent after announcing the nationalization of North American companies in a speech. But it was a temporary mishap that was not repeated (…)”
- Prologue by Mario Vargas Llosa to the complete works of Julio Cortázar
“The impact of Hopscotch , when it appeared in 1963, on the Spanish-speaking world, was seismic. It shook to the very foundations the convictions or prejudices that writers and readers had about the means and ends of the art of storytelling and extended the boundaries of the genre to unthinkable limits. Thanks to Hopscotch, we learned that writing was a brilliant way to have fun, that it was possible to explore the secrets of the world and of language while having a great time, and that, through play, one could plumb mysterious layers of life forbidden to rational knowledge, to logical intelligence, depths of experience that no one can venture into without grave risks, such as death and madness.
