Prologue is ... Let's try to understand literary terminology

Prologue is (in literature) an introductory section that "opens" the work of any style. He can figure in fiction, and in various books of technical orientation, and in large articles that have a political or social orientation. Prologue is not an obligatory part of every work. Nevertheless, it essentially helps the reader to get acquainted with the meaning of what he is going to start.

Prologue is, in other words, a retelling of the whole work, the dedication of the reader into his certain details and events. Often in the introductory part there is a short story about the heroes of the book, about their features and character traits. The author can reveal their spiritual qualities to some extent or tell about what happened to this or that person earlier, that is, before he "got into the book". This technique helps in more vivid colors to understand the writer's intention, as well as to experience the atmosphere that is contained in the pages of a particular literary masterpiece.

Journalists, reporters and philosophers often use prologue in their works. Chernyshevsky, the master of utopian judgments about the world and our being, could not begin to write a single work, without first having presented it to the reader in the form of a brief description. Many also argued that, without reading the preamble, they could not comprehend the meaning of what this thinker wrote about.

Prologue is an intrigue that the author can create in order to gather as many readers as possible from the pages of his book. There may not be a full description of the storyline or an incomplete characterization of this or that character. This method allows luring a person, thereby "tying" him to the book. This trick is an integral part of modern articles, mainly on political topics. If the material is large, then the prologue is several pages that can be posted on the Internet or printed in a brochure. In the case where the article is small, its author can well do with a catchy description, which will take a paragraph or two.

This literary term has many variations and varieties. Mainly it is worth noting that in most of the art books (mostly released in the Soviet era) the first section is precisely the "Foreword." This chapter is too general and does not provide a clear definition of what the subsequent story will be, which is very different from what usually describes a prologue. This is a kind of introduction, which often gives an idea of the writer's style of presentation.

The introductory part is present not only in literary works. Quite often the prologue is the first part of a choral performance, an opera or ballet, a dance, a monologue, and so on. However, in this case, the term does not lose its qualities and is still an introductory stage for every spectator. He can fully disclose the meaning of the play or create an intrigue - it all depends on the intent of the author or director.