Can't they just add those chapters as a part of the story?
2006-12-05 05:00:14 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
The forward gives some background oun the book. The epilog is actually useful to update the suject of the book. It can also be used as a literary device to add realism by telling you the fate of whomever or whatever the book was about. You didn't mention prolog but it does the same job as the epilog, only going in.
2006-12-05 05:09:04 · answer #1 · answered by Sophist 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's just a literary style. As for the foreword, usually it is meant explain some information and ground rules for reading the story and is inappropriate as being part of the story. Similar to having footnotes - you don't want to clutter the flow of the text with citations or statistical information so it gets put at the bottom of the page. The reader can choose to skip it and not lose any critical part of the story. As for a epilogue or afterword, again, it's just a literary style. Essentially the story is over but it gives the author a chance to put the whole story in a historical perspective, for example. You know when you see a particular movie and at the end there's sometimes a message saying that such-and-such devoted his life to helping people in similar situations, etc., and the bad guy spent the rest of his life in prison, and that twerpy nerdy guy went on to invent the electron microscope . . . you get the idea.
2006-12-05 05:19:10 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They could, but a forward is usually about events that happen before the story itself takes place, and an epilogue wraps things up after the story itself is over. The forward might foreshadow something that takes place in the story, and the epilogue might satisfy your curiosity about what happens to the characters months or years after the events of the story itself are over. They function something like the introduction and coda in a piece of music. Even a short song will have a few bars of intro before the main theme begins (the part the DJ talks over), and might have a little coda at the end to wrap things up.
2006-12-05 05:06:51 · answer #3 · answered by rollo_tomassi423 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm the kind of person who usually skips the forward, but by the end of the book I'm so into it that I want to read more, so I go back to the forward and read it.
I think authors fear that their stories might be misunderstood, or that they need to have a big bang at the start to catch the attention of publishers and readers. I bet they write the forward last.
2006-12-05 05:08:05 · answer #4 · answered by sixgun 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I guess they could, but for things that happened way in the past, its easier for the reader to understand if there's an epilogue. Same with the ending. Plus they're fun to say and write!
2006-12-05 08:44:21 · answer #5 · answered by amor fati 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes they serve as framing narratives and *are* part of the story. Other than that, I'm leery of anyone who thinks a work of fiction needs explaining, unless it's being presented as a cultural curiosity rather than a living work of art.
2006-12-05 05:43:24 · answer #6 · answered by injanier 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You cannot confuse the reader as to the structure of the book and how it goes; otherwise, no one reads it
2006-12-05 05:03:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
its a way writers can introduce characters(forward) and how to tie up any loose ends at the end of a book(epilouge).
2006-12-05 05:05:36 · answer #8 · answered by mollie20052003 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The same reason as why people wear clothes....
2006-12-05 05:04:16 · answer #9 · answered by deevoonay 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋