The reader couldn’t help but yearn for the people and the environment they had grown so accustomed to as the book’s last pages approached.
However, all great stories must end, just like all good things must. As a result, the author gave the reader an epilogue that served as a final farewell to the adored characters, a view into the future, and a resolution to any loose ends.
The epilogue depicted the characters’ lives following the story’s events, including their struggles and victories, happiness and sadness.
It served as a reminder that life goes on and that the characters will continue to go through all of it, just like the reader.
The reader realised that the characters would always have a particular place in their heart, thus it was a reassuring but heartbreaking farewell.
The reader couldn’t help but grin as they put the book down, appreciating the experience and the memories they had shared with the characters. The end was just the start.
The word “epílogos,” which combines the Greek words “epí” (in addition) and “logos” (word), denotes “conclusion.” The 15th century saw the first use of this word.
Since epilogues are unique and cannot be replicated, they are found in every genre, book, tale, and character.
Although there are many different approaches to writing a lovely epilogue, I’ve included some guidelines here that will help you craft a touching epilogue for your book:
- Revise and Edit: Never forget to edit and revise your epilogue. Since it’s the last chapter of your book, it ought to be flawless.
- Determine the epilogue’s goal: Determine the function of the epilogue in your novel before you begin writing. Will it provide the reader closure? Will it disclose the characters’ fates following the major plot points? Will it provide answers to any unanswered questions?
- Revisit the story’s themes: An excellent way to review the story’s themes and encourage readers to consider the meaning and value of the narrative is through the epilogue.
- Keep it short: An epilogue need to be succinct and direct. It should be the climax to the previously told story rather than a brand-new one.
- Reflect the tone of the story: The tone of the work as a whole should be reflected in the epilogue. It should adhere to the same literary style and be consistent with the story’s ideas.
- Use a different point of view: Using a different point of view in the epilogue might help create a sense of closure. For instance, the epilogue may be given in the third person if the main narrative was told in the first.
- Avoid introducing new plotlines: New conflicts or storylines shouldn’t be introduced in the epilogue. Rather, it should provide the story completion and finality.
- Address the character’s future: What happens to the characters following the major events of the novel can be covered in the epilogue. This can provide the reader closure and help them comprehend what happened to the characters they have come to love.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is another instance of an epilogue that discloses the characters’ outcomes. Readers are informed in the epilogue that Gatsby’s death was ultimately caused by his desire to win back Daisy, his lost love.
This epilogue reminds us of the terrible results of Gatsby’s deeds and sheds light on his intentions.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling is a superb example of an epilogue that offers resolution. Readers witness Harry, Ron, and Hermione all grown up and sending their own kids off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the epilogue, which takes place nineteen years after the story’s major events.
By demonstrating that the characters have moved on with their lives and that the problems in the novel have been settled, this epilogue offers closure.
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a classic example of an epilogue that reflects on the themes of the narrative. It is evident that the novel’s central theme—the necessity of seeing past first impressions—has been understood and applied when readers encounter the characters in the epilogue, which takes place five years after the story’s major events.
The story’s ideas and lesson are reiterated in the epilogue.
To summarise the entire blog, an epilogue gives readers a chance to think back on the journey they’ve just completed.