What is a prologue in literature? Definition and examples. Geographical names of the Vologda region, what is a preface, what does it mean and how to write it correctly Examples of the use of the word preface in literature

People often read prefaces in books diagonally, or even simply skip them. But in vain! It is in this part of the book that you can find important information that will make it easier to understand what is written in the main part.

Let's find out better what a preface is.

What do literary encyclopedias say?

What is the preface of a book? You need to contact relevant specialists with this question.

Literary scholars explain the concept in this way: it is a part of a literary text (artistic or scientific in nature) that precedes the main text. The author, as a rule, places in the preface the information that, in his opinion, will facilitate understanding of the text and provide important additional information.

In this part of the book, not only the author himself, but also the editor, publisher or other person related to the book can express his comments.

Why write a preface?

We have dealt with the question of what a preface is in literature. But why do authors write these introductory parts to their works? What are they needed for?

Often the reason for writing is a negative attitude towards the book from critics or the main audience of readers. An example is one of the editions of Turgenev’s novel “Smoke”.

From such samples, literary scholars can find out what the writer changed in the text, how his socio-political views were reflected in the novel.
The nihilists of the 60s of the century before last answered the question: “What is a preface?” - they would answer that this is a screen behind which they hide their true intentions.

Satirical prefaces

Answering the question of what a preface is, it is necessary to dwell in more detail on anti-nihilistic works. One of these texts was written by Dostoevsky for the works of Chernyshevsky. The satire of the famous conservative was associated with the views of the famous Russian democrat-revolutionary.

Of course, Dostoevsky's caustic words caused indignation among other writers. A few years later, the writer said that he was misunderstood because he himself was once a convict and could not rejoice at the same grief of another person. Some critics were won over by these words.

Preface-manifestos

How else can you answer the question, what is a preface? “This is a literary manifesto!” - professionals can answer. And they will be right.

Some generally recognized literary geniuses were also pioneers of their style or continuers of tradition. A striking example is Hugo's preface to the play Cromwell. It is in this text that we learn about romantic drama, its distinctive features and principles.

Editors' Prefaces

Modern editions of classic works of bygone eras are rarely found without an introduction by the editor. What is the preface in this case? This is an explanatory text that gives an idea of ​​the era in which the author lived and the dominant form of social consciousness in those times. From such prefaces we can get acquainted with a modern view of the problem, a critical assessment of the work.

Any literary work is subject to the laws of composition, one of the structural elements of which is the prologue. What is its function and what is a prologue in literature? Below is the definition of this literary concept.

Prologue is a compositional part of a literary work that is located before the main content; translated from Greek “prologue” means preface. Unlike the introduction, the prologue is always written by the author himself. A prologue can precede both a literary and journalistic work.

There are 6 main functions of prologue

  1. a short presentation of the plot that will unfold on the pages of the work;
  2. introducing the reader to the events preceding the main plot;
  3. designation of the characters of the main characters;
  4. a general outline of the ideological content of the work;
  5. an explanation of the reasons that prompted the author to write the book;
  6. preparing the reader to perceive the plot.

The main function of the prologue in literature is to set the reader up to perceive subsequent events. In modern literature, the prologue is also charged with the function of arousing the reader’s interest in the work and encouraging him to purchase the book.

As part of a literary work, the prologue has its origins in ancient drama. It was a direct appeal to the audience in order to prepare them for the perception of the theatrical performance. In the literature of the 19th century, the prologue not only acquired a closer semantic connection with the main plot, but also took on additional ideological and artistic load.

Examples of prologue in literature

Examples illustrating the functions of the prologue, its place in the structure of the work, ideological and artistic purpose, can be:

  • two prologues in Goethe's tragedy Faust;
  • “Prologue” to the poem by A.S. Pushkin “Ruslan and Lyudmila”;
  • “Introduction” to the poem by A.S. Pushkin “The Bronze Horseman”;
  • prologues in the novels of I.S. Turgeneva, F.M. Dostoevsky;
  • “Prologue” to the poem by N.A. Nekrasov “Who Lives Well in Rus'”, etc.

The functions of a prologue are often performed by the initial chapters of the main narrative, in which the background stories of the heroes’ lives are introduced. The prologue is an optional element of the composition of the work. It may not exist. In literary criticism, the prologue is opposed to the epilogue.

Dear readers! Here is the first ethnopsychology dictionary in our country and abroad, which will undoubtedly interest you. Modern ethnopsychology is a young and rapidly progressing science. Its development was not always simple and unambiguous. Ethnographic Dictionary

  • Preface - A note placed at the head of a book with the purpose of giving the reader a preliminary message about the composition of the publication, its goals or plan, its external or internal history, etc. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron
  • preface - orf. preface - I Lopatin's spelling dictionary
  • preface - BEGINNING - END Initial - final (see) begin (see) - end (see) begin (see) - finish (see) beginning - end (see) initial - final begin ( xia) - end (xia) (see) The beginning of the road - the end of the road. Dictionary of antonyms of the Russian language
  • preface - preface cf. 1. The introductory part of any work, containing preliminary explanations and comments. 2. transfer What is said is done before something more important, as something less important, as an introduction to something. Explanatory Dictionary by Efremova
  • Preface - There are many difficulties in Russian spelling, not the least of which is the spelling of one or two consecutive letters n in words, the so-called n and nn. Orthographic dictionary. One N or two?
  • preface - PREFACE, I, cf. Introductory article to some. essay. Without (any) prefaces (colloquial) getting down to the essence of the matter or conversation immediately, without preliminary preparations or explanations. Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
  • preface - See preface Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
  • Preface - The large accounting dictionary contains about 10,000 terms and interpretations, supplemented by various explanations and comments. The dictionary, while not being a reference book, provides readers with a large amount of reference information. Great Accounting Dictionary
  • preface - Pre/words/i/e [y/e]. Morphemic-spelling dictionary
  • Preface - During the second half of the twentieth century. The rethinking of translation activity, which dates back to the distant past, has reached such a level that it has led to the creation of an independent scientific discipline, which has come to be called translation theory, the science of translation. Explanatory translation dictionary
  • preface - PREFACE -i; Wed 1. The introductory part of something. a work containing preliminary or prefabricated explanations and comments. Write a small, brief paragraph for a translator. A book with a preface and conclusion. 2. usually plural. Kuznetsov's Explanatory Dictionary
  • preface - see >> beginning Without preface Abramov's dictionary of synonyms
  • preface - “Animal Life” is a special type of zoological book. It reflects the entire body of zoological knowledge, but in a special relationship between different sections of animal science. Biological encyclopedia
  • preface - -i, cf. Introductory part a work containing preliminary clarifications and comments or clarifications and comments prefacing the work. Preface to the 2nd edition. Preface by the translator. Small academic dictionary
  • Preface - PREFACE - the author's introductory word to his work, in which something is said about it, for example, an indication of the main idea of ​​​​the work, its plan, response to critics, etc. Dictionary of literary terms
  • preface - PREFACE, preface, cf. 1. Section of a literary or scientific work, containing preliminary explanations and comments (by the author, editor, publisher), introduction to the text of the presentation. Preface to the study. Preface to the 2nd edition. Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
  • preface - Preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface Zaliznyak's Grammar Dictionary
  • preface - noun, number of synonyms: 9 introduction 17 beginning 92 preamble 6 preliminary statement 1 warning 6 prelude 6 prolegomena 2 prologue 18 article 30 Dictionary of Russian synonyms

    • PREFACE

    an introductory article of critical, textual, historical, etc. content, prefaced by a book in order to inform the reader of certain information that, in the opinion of the author, editor or publisher, is necessary for a better understanding of the latter. In what follows we will only talk about P. to works of art. For literary criticism, the author's P. is of greatest importance. Such P. is often, as it were, the author's commentary on the work. The negative attitude of readers towards the work forced the author to remake it and tell readers about his work in P. An example of this type of P. is the preface by I. S. Turgenev to a separate edition of his novel “Smoke”. Such a P. is of great value to the researcher, since in it the author indicates what he did in the text of his story when republished. Such a P. is also valuable for understanding the socio-political position of the author in the corresponding era. Sometimes P. is a kind of “screen”, which the author used to hide himself and his true intentions from those contemporaries for whom he wanted to remain unknown. Such poems were written, for example, in the era of the 60s. authors of “anti-nihilistic” (i.e., directed against revolutionary democracy) novels. This is how F. M. Dostoevsky supplied his satirical story about revolutionary democrats (Chernyshevsky and others) “Crocodile” (“An extraordinary event or a passage within a passage”, “Epoch”, 1865, 2). Wanting to hide the direction of the satire against Chernyshevsky, a prisoner of tsarism, Dostoevsky wrote to P., in which he spoke about the surprise caused in the editorial office by such an “incredible story”, about disputes in the editorial office, about the “mystification” of the story, etc. However, the sting was left in this preface in its entirety. The leaders of Sovremennik (Nekrasov and others) understood the meaning of the libel; it was clear and objectively helped the reaction. The researcher needs to be critical of this kind of “preface”, in particular that of Dostoevsky, despite his attempt in 1873 to withdraw accusations of speaking out against Chernyshevsky. Dostoevsky’s explanation in “The Diary of a Writer” that he, “a former exile and convict, (could not) rejoice at the exile of another unfortunate,” bribed researcher A. Cheshikhin-Vetrinsky, who believed the author

    241 (for details, see the book by A. E. Cheshikhin-Vetrinsky “N. G. Chernyshevsky, 1828-1889,” Kolos, 1923, p. 136). Of particular interest are those author's essays in which the writer sets out his literary credo and the literary concept he defends. Many of P. of this type, such as the prefaces of Beaumarchais and V. Hugo (to “Cromwell”) entered the history of literature as manifestos (see) of the corresponding literary trends. In Soviet publishing practice, P. were widely used. Historical and literary prefaces to Soviet editions of literary classics are aimed at giving a correct interpretation of the classic’s work for the modern reader, destroying the incorrect bourgeois assessments created in the past. In this kind of P., depending on the need, the printed history of the work is also covered, it is explained to the reader which works, why they were chosen and included in the publication, the plan and order of arrangement of the material, the principles of its processing, etc. P., identifying the author and the origin of the work, its socio-political meaning and significance in the history of literature are especially necessary in the publication of previously unknown materials (finished works, plans, letters, memoirs, etc.) extracted by editors from the literary archive of the writer. N. Belchikov

    Literary encyclopedia. 2012

    See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what PREFACE is in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

    • PREFACE in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
      a note placed at the head of a book with the purpose of giving the reader a preliminary information about the composition of the publication, about its goals or plan, about ...
    • PREFACE in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
      , -I, Wed. Introductory article to some. essay. * Without (any) prefaces (colloquial) - getting to the point of the matter or conversation...
    • PREFACE in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedia:
      ? a note placed at the head of a book with the purpose of giving the reader a preliminary information about the composition of the publication, about its goals or plan, ...
    • PREFACE in the Complete Accented Paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
      preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, preface, ...
    • PREFACE in the Popular Explanatory Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Russian Language:
      -I'm with. 1) The introductory part of something. work containing preliminary clarifications, as well as critical comments. Preface to the collection of short stories. Synonyms: ...
    • PREFACE in the Thesaurus of Russian Business Vocabulary:
    • PREFACE in the Russian Language Thesaurus:
      ‘introductory part, introductory part of any work’ Syn: introduction, introduction, preamble (book), prologue (lit.) Ant: afterword, ...
    • PREFACE in Abramov's Dictionary of Synonyms:
      see beginning || without …
    • PREFACE in the Russian Synonyms dictionary:
      introduction, introduction, beginning, preamble, prelude, prologue, ...
    • PREFACE in the New Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language by Efremova:
      Wed 1) The introductory part of something. a work containing preliminary clarifications and comments. 2) transfer What is said is done before smth. mainly...
    • PREFACE in Lopatin’s Dictionary of the Russian Language:
      preface...
    • PREFACE in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language:
      preface...
    • PREFACE in the Spelling Dictionary:
      preface...
    • PREFACE in Ozhegov’s Dictionary of the Russian Language:
      introductory article to some...
    • PREFACE in Ushakov’s Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
      preface, cf. 1. Section of a literary or scientific work, containing preliminary explanations and comments (by the author, editor, publisher), introduction to the text of the presentation. ...
    • PREFACE in Ephraim's Explanatory Dictionary:
      preface cf. 1) The introductory part of something. a work containing preliminary clarifications and comments. 2) transfer What is said is done before smth. ...
    • PREFACE in the New Dictionary of the Russian Language by Efremova:
    • PREFACE in the Large Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
      Wed 1. The introductory part of any work, containing preliminary explanations and comments. 2. transfer What is said is done before something important...
    • HEINRICH HEINE in Wiki Quotebook:
      Data: 2009-07-12 Time: 17:00:34 Navigation Wikipedia=Heinrich Heine Wikisource=Heinrich Heine Wikimedia Commons=Category:Heinrich Heine Heinrich Heine (_de. Heinrich Heine, 1797-1856) ...
    • BAAL SULAAM in Wiki Quotebook:
      Data: 2008-05-26 Time: 12:19:57 = About Kabbalah = * This wisdom “(Kabbalah)” is nothing more and nothing less...
    • DUPONT in the Literary Encyclopedia:
      Pierre is a French worker songwriter (chansonnier), who reflected in his work the initial craft stage of the development of the proletariat in France. ...

    Dictionary of antonyms of the Russian language

    Preface

    afterword

    Ozhegov's Dictionary

    PREFACE ABOUT VIE, I, Wed Introductory article to which. essay.

    Without (any) preface(colloquial) getting to the point of a matter or conversation immediately, without preliminary preparations or explanations.

    Efremova's Dictionary

    Preface

    1. Wed
      1. Introductory part a work containing preliminary clarifications and comments.
      2. trans. What is said is done before smth. main, as less important, as an introduction to something.

    Thesaurus of Russian business vocabulary

    Preface

    ‘introductory part, introductory part of a work’

    Syn: introduction, introduction, preamble (book), prologue (lit.)

    Ant: afterword, epilogue

    Ushakov's Dictionary

    Preface

    preface, preface, Wed

    1. A section of a literary or scientific work, containing preliminary explanations and comments (by the author, editor, publisher), and an introduction to the text of the presentation. Preface to the study. Preface to the 2nd edition. “The last chapter of Eugene Onegin was published separately, with the following preface...” Pushkin.

    2. more often pl. Introductory messages and explanations before presenting the merits of the case, preim. in the expression: without preamble ( decomposition). Please, no preamble - get to the point. “Without preamble, let me introduce you to the hero of my novel right now.” Pushkin.

    Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

    Preface

    A note placed at the head of a book with the purpose of giving the reader a preliminary message about the composition of the publication, about its goals or plan, about its external or internal history, etc. P. speaks not so much about the content of the book as about it, and in this its difference from a similar form - an introduction, introducing the reader to the range of scientific data to which the proposed essay is adjacent. P. to poetic works were, and to some extent still remain, a popular form in French literature in which a writer presents his theoretical literary views. Known, for example, are P. Corneille, Racine (to “Britannicus” and “Iphigenia”), Moliere (to “Tartuffe”), Voltaire (to “Oedipus” and “Merope”), Beaumarchais, Dumas the Father (“Un mot "to Henry III), A. de Vigny ("Derni è re nuit de travail", to "Chatterton", etc.), the famous P. Victor Hugo to "Cromwell", playing the role of a manifesto of romanticism. In our classical literature, examples include P. Lermontov for “A Hero of Our Time,” Dostoevsky for “The Karamazovs.”

    Ar. G.

    Ethnographic Dictionary

    Preface

    Dear readers!

    Here is the first ethnopsychology dictionary in our country and abroad, which will undoubtedly interest you.

    Modern ethnopsychology is a young and rapidly progressing science. Its development was not always simple and unambiguous. Many branches of knowledge showed interest in it, which in their own way studied and comprehended the content of the national psyche of people. At the same time, the development of ethnopsychology has always been connected with the needs of practice and social life in our state; the need to reveal the actual psychological patterns of the formation and functioning of the phenomena that are its object; studying the characteristics of the manifestation of the mental makeup of specific peoples; harmonization of relations between people - representatives of different ethnic communities; with relieving tension and preventing conflicts arising on ethnic grounds.

    Today, the task of ethnopsychology in our country is not only to explore and explain the differences that exist in the psyche, behavior, actions and actions of representatives of various peoples and ethnic groups, to show the originality of their manifestation in the practice of interethnic relations, but also to develop recommendations for government bodies management in order to implement scientifically based national policies, harmonize communication and interaction between people on the basis of mutual understanding.

    The formation of a young science involves the development and constant improvement of its categorical apparatus.

    Knowledge and terms reflecting its content, accumulated in the previous period of development of ethnopsychology, now need to be adequately interpreted in order to avoid uncertainty or ambiguity in their use. That is why the main goal pursued by the team of authors working on the dictionary was a strict clarification of the semantic content of already known ones and the natural introduction into scientific use of new concepts that reflect the content and specificity of ethnopsychological phenomena and processes. The dictionary includes terminology and a system of concepts accepted in psychological science and explained from a psychological and pedagogical position.

    A number of articles reveal the content of research methods and techniques, in our opinion, the most significant and important. The dictionary also describes the characteristics of the national psychology of representatives of ethnic communities living in Russia and some foreign countries1. The connection between articles is made through references to relevant terms.

    At the same time, the dictionary is written in a lively and intelligible language. It does not include dry and insignificant terms and concepts, but information that is useful in all respects: this is the history of the development of a young branch of knowledge, interesting facts and phenomena, and very important information presented in a generalized form for the first time.

    Unfortunately, the dictionary included characteristics of the national psychological characteristics of only those ethnic communities that were studied by the team of authors.

    (Krysko V.G. Ethnopsychological Dictionary. M.1999)

    Sentences containing "preface"

    He adds a preface to the book, where he declares his goal to debunk Copernicanism and transfers the book to the Tuscan censorship, and, according to some information, in an incomplete and softened form.

    The road from the airport immediately, without any pacifying prefaces, plunges you into, so to speak, local problems.

    Share with friends:
    Related publications