What Is an Epilogue? And Is It Okay to Use One in YOUR Book?

You cognize you’ve seen it astatine nan extremity of a book, but what does it mean? What is an closing actually? Why not conscionable telephone it, “Last Chapter”? And if you’re a writer, should you end your book pinch an epilogue?

When I was moving connected my book, Crowdsourcing Paris, I had a determination to make. It was a make aliases break choice, and if I chose wrong, I could easy ruin my book.

My dilemma? How would I constitute nan ending.

Should I constitute an epilogue? An afterword? Or conscionable constitute “The End” aft nan past chapter?

It was a reliable decision, and I dream I chose right. The bully news is that readers look to emotion nan ending and nan reviews person been incredibly affirmative (4.2 of 5.0 stars connected Amazon currently).

So what is an epilogue, what is an afterword, and really should you extremity your book? Read connected for nan mechanics of really to constitute nan ending of a caller aliases memoir.

Hey writer: Here’s an easy checklist of erstwhile to usage an closing successful your book. Download it here.

What Is an Epilogue?

An closing is simply a section that ends a caller aliases memoir. It’s often infinitesimal erstwhile nan scholar learns nan last fates of nan characters aliases erstwhile nan hook for a sequel is revealed. Not each novels and memoirs person epilogues, but nan ones that do thin to beryllium shorter than different chapters. They are besides usually different successful tone, point of view, aliases clip play versus different chapters successful nan book.

Examples of Epilogues

Epilogues look successful novels, memoirs, and besides successful films. Romance novels often see 1 to show nan mates six months aliases a twelvemonth later, giving readers a glimpse of early events successful nan life of nan couple. But romance novels are surely not nan only genre aliases format that usage epilogues.

Here are immoderate celebrated closing examples from a assortment of stories:

1. The Avengers (film)

During nan ending credits segment of The Avengers, we spot nan heroes eating astatine a ruined schwarma shop successful New York City. (In fact, immoderate ending in installments segment successful a Marvel movie would beryllium an illustration of an epilogue, and often location are two!)

2. Harry Potter and nan Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

In The Deathly Hallows, nan last caller successful nan Harry Potter series, location is an closing titled, “Nineteen Years Later,” which is astir nan children of Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Draco arsenic they time off level 9 ¾ for Hogwarts.

The closing from Harry Potter and nan Deathly Hallows is titled “Nineteen Years Later.”

3. As You Like It by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare utilized galore epilogues successful his plays, including Puck’s last speech successful A Midsummer Night’s Dream, nan Prince’s last reside successful Romeo and Juliet, and Rosalind’s last reside successful As You Like It, erstwhile she says:

I complaint you, O men, for nan emotion you carnivore to women—as I comprehend by your simpering, nary of you hates them—that betwixt you and nan women nan play whitethorn please. If I were a woman, I would buss arsenic galore of you arsenic had beards that pleased me, complexions that liked me, and breaths that I defied not. And I americium judge arsenic galore arsenic person bully beards, aliases bully faces, aliases saccharine breaths will, for my benignant offer, erstwhile I make curtsy, bid maine farewell.

4. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

While not explicitly titled arsenic an epilogue, nan last short section successful Les Miserables by Victor Hugo functions arsenic one, arsenic it reveals nan sedate of nan protagonist, Jean Val Jean, ending pinch nan epitaph:

He sleeps. Although truthful overmuch he was denied,
He lived; and erstwhile beloved emotion near him, died.
It happened of itself, successful nan calm way
That successful nan evening night-time follows day.

5. Neuromancer by William Gibson

The groundbreaking subject fabrication caller Neuromancer by William Gibson ends pinch an closing titled, “Coda, Chapter 24: Departure and Arrival” (Coda is nan balanced to an closing successful music—see below).

The closing of Neuromancer is titled Coda: Departure and Arrival. 

Now that we’ve seen immoderate examples, let’s talk astir nan origins of epilogues and whether you should usage 1 successful your book.

Origins of Epilogues

Epilogues person their root successful ancient Greece, not successful play but successful classical speeches. In fact, it was 1 of nan 4 components of a speech, according to Aristotle:

“Aristotle states that . . . nan very quality of rhetoric requires astatine slightest 4 components: an exordium, aliases preamble (prooimion), an precocious thesis (prothesis), proofs (pisteis), and a conclusion (epilogos).” Richard Leo Enos, “Traditional Arrangement.” Encyclopedia of Rhetoric via Thought.co.

The connection closing comes from nan Greek Epilogos: “epi,” meaning “in addition,” and “log,” meaning “word.” It’s virtually “additional words” tacked connected to nan end.

How do epilogues comparison to different endings, for illustration afterwords, conclusions, outros, and codas? Let’s talk astir that next.

Afterword vs. Epilogue

An afterword is simply a last statement from nan writer and is different than an closing because it’s successful nan author’s ain voice, alternatively than from a narrator aliases characteristic successful nan existent story.

An afterword whitethorn remark connected nan communicative aliases it whitethorn talk astir nan discourse successful which nan communicative was written. However, it is always outside of nan communicative itself, and it is ever from nan author’s constituent of view.

Epilogue vs. Conclusion

Epilogues and conclusions usability nan same, but conclusions thin to beryllium recovered successful nonfiction books, usually accompanied by an preamble section astatine nan commencement of nan book, whereas epilogues thin to beryllium recovered successful novels and memoirs.

Epilogue vs. Outro

Epilogue and outros usability nan same, but epilogues thin to beryllium utilized successful reference to novels and memoirs, and nan connection “outro” is usually recovered successful nan discourse of tv aliases video games.

Epilogue vs. Coda

In a musical, nan word for an closing is coda, which intends “tail” successful Latin. In nan illustration above, William Gibson calls his last section a “Coda” arsenic another, imaginative measurement of calling it an epilogue.

Should You Use an Epilogue?

The answer: if you want to!

When it comes to choosing really to extremity your caller aliases memoir, you person 2 main options:

• End pinch a last chapter, e.g. Chapter 22.
• End pinch an epilogue

Plenty of awesome novels and memoirs extremity pinch a last section and plentifulness extremity pinch epilogues.

In fact, I did an informal study of 10 of my favourite books connected my bookshelf. Two had definitive epilogues, 3 had chapters that acted arsenic epilogues (in that they jumped guardant successful clip to uncover nan fates of nan main characters extracurricular nan normal communicative structure), and 5 did not person epilogues. When it comes to penning an epilogue, it’s really up to you.

Here’s a checklist that you tin usage erstwhile you’re deciding whether to usage an closing successful your writing.

Should I Use an Epilogue: A Checklist

Here’s erstwhile it’s officially okay to usage an epilogue:

• You want to show nan fates of nan characters aft nan main communicative aliases location is simply a important play of clip jump
• Your last section is coming from a different constituent of position than nan erstwhile chapters
• Your last section is overmuch shorter than erstwhile chapters
• Your last section is written successful a different style aliases tone
• You want to unfastened a hook for a sequel
• You began nan communicative pinch a prologue

While epilogues are somewhat interchangeable pinch last chapters, epilogues thin to beryllium shorter; different successful tone, style, aliases constituent of view; and/or whitethorn beryllium a jump up successful clip from nan remainder of nan narrative. If your ending fits immoderate of these, consciousness free to usage an epilogue!

While galore editors consciousness prologues are overused and look down connected them, location isn’t nan aforesaid level of distaste for prologue’s cousin, nan epilogue.

Want to cognize for judge whether you should usage an epilogue? Get a free, printable checklist here! Download nan closing checklist here.

What did I choose for my ending? When I was penning my book Crowdsourcing Paris, my memoir astir a real-life escapade communicative I had successful France, I chose to usage . . .

An epilogue.

Why? Because successful nan ending, I flash backmost to a infinitesimal from a erstwhile portion of my story, and this jump was extracurricular of nan normal building of my chapters. I besides utilized a prologue to statesman nan book, and truthful it felt correct to usage an closing to extremity it for nan correct consciousness of closure.

What Is an Epilogue? A Great Way to End Your Novel aliases Memoir!

So location you person it. There’s your closing primer.

In different words, usage an closing if you want to, but besides recognize that astir epilogues are different successful immoderate measurement than nan different chapters successful your book, particularly successful length, communicative style, tone, aliases constituent of view. Take that into consideration, and you should beryllium okay.

Writers: Have you utilized an closing successful a memoir aliases caller aliases a last chapter? Why did you make that choice? Let maine cognize successful the comments.