Epilogues, The Bigger Finish
A question was posed to me about Epilogues. I decided, What the Heck!
Why not shake the tree on this subject and see what falls out. I did take a good look first to see if there were any kittens, chipmunks, or my daughter’s old boyfriends I had… Well, needless to say that a few interesting things came out of this… shaking of the tree. As always I asked a few of my Test Readers their thoughts on Epilogues and what they knew about them. It would’ve been better to continue to shake the tree and see what else fall from its protective branches. What I did discover that books aren’t the only thing that has Epilogues. If you hadn’t noticed more and more directors are adding a little extra at the end of their movies. Of course, this is a pain in the butt because you want to beat the crowd, catch the concession stand before it close for another box of raisinets, or get the hell out of the parking lot before the adjacent street becomes a parking lot. However, for this little taste (or should I call it the after taste) let’s keep the amount of seasonings to a minimum. What are Epilogues, what are they used for, and are they actually necessary?
A question was posed to me about Epilogues. I decided, What the Heck!
Why not shake the tree on this subject and see what falls out. I did take a good look first to see if there were any kittens, chipmunks, or my daughter’s old boyfriends I had… Well, needless to say that a few interesting things came out of this… shaking of the tree. As always I asked a few of my Test Readers their thoughts on Epilogues and what they knew about them. It would’ve been better to continue to shake the tree and see what else fall from its protective branches. What I did discover that books aren’t the only thing that has Epilogues. If you hadn’t noticed more and more directors are adding a little extra at the end of their movies. Of course, this is a pain in the butt because you want to beat the crowd, catch the concession stand before it close for another box of raisinets, or get the hell out of the parking lot before the adjacent street becomes a parking lot. However, for this little taste (or should I call it the after taste) let’s keep the amount of seasonings to a minimum. What are Epilogues, what are they used for, and are they actually necessary?
What are Epilogues?
According to several entries on the internet, an epilogue is a section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened. For me the best definition comes from: http://literarydevices.net/epilogue/
According to several entries on the internet, an epilogue is a section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened. For me the best definition comes from: http://literarydevices.net/epilogue/
An epilogue is part of the main story, occurring after the climax and revealing the fates of the characters. Usually, it may be set a few hours later or far in the future where the writer speaks to the readers indirectly through the point of view of a different character. In an afterword, on the other hand, an author speaks to the readers directly. In it, a writer may provide a reason for writing the book and detail the research that has gone into writing the book.
Sometimes, a writer may employ an epilogue to cover the loose ends of his story i.e. resolves those issues which were brought up by the writer in the story but were not resolved in the climax.
If you are
wondering why I had chosen this definition over the first one, it’s because it
fits the point I’m making. Hey, what did you expect? If you are looking for
some elaborate, complicated, and misleading answer, then you’ve come to the
wrong place buddy. I’m looking at all sides to this question and trying to
piece together the past, present, and hopefully give you something to think
about in the future as to what epilogues are used for. (I know it was a heavy
handed intro, but you can still commit on this it).
What are epilogues used for?
According to the definitions above, epilogues should be cut and dry, but what fun is that? Things have a way of evolving and epilogues are no different. It had gone from merely a summation of a book or play, to a glorified sneak peak, Easter egg filled, hyped coming attractions, with a dash of’ I have got to see that again! Although, the standard epilogue is still alive and well, I’ve been seeing it evolve into something very exciting. You could call it the show behind the show or that bit of extra that has the key to all the hidden treasures within the book or even, the climax after the climax.
As you glue audiences in their seats until the lights come on and the cleaning crew comes in. now seen in the cinema, more and more productions are using the epilogue concept to. I don’t know why no one had noticed this phenomenon and had taken advantage of it until now. What I’m talking about is the 1972 horror film Ben. Ben was a story about a young boy and his pet rat. Not one of the most hospitable types of movie that would cause people to remain in their seats as the credits played. But, people had remained for one particular reason and that was the musical score that played during the final credits was the song Ben performed by Michael Jackson.
People lined up around the block to actually see a B-Rated Horror film just to hear Michael Jackson sing. The only thing that tied this into being what is considered an epilogue was the star of the show was a rat and the song was about the relationship between the rodent and the boy. I’m sure there are some directors and producers out there looking to put together their Easter Egged filled surprise, it will have a musical compliment that will cause audiences to flip out and wish to sit through another showing of their film. It has happened before. The question now is, are epilogues really necessary?
According to the definitions above, epilogues should be cut and dry, but what fun is that? Things have a way of evolving and epilogues are no different. It had gone from merely a summation of a book or play, to a glorified sneak peak, Easter egg filled, hyped coming attractions, with a dash of’ I have got to see that again! Although, the standard epilogue is still alive and well, I’ve been seeing it evolve into something very exciting. You could call it the show behind the show or that bit of extra that has the key to all the hidden treasures within the book or even, the climax after the climax.
As you glue audiences in their seats until the lights come on and the cleaning crew comes in. now seen in the cinema, more and more productions are using the epilogue concept to. I don’t know why no one had noticed this phenomenon and had taken advantage of it until now. What I’m talking about is the 1972 horror film Ben. Ben was a story about a young boy and his pet rat. Not one of the most hospitable types of movie that would cause people to remain in their seats as the credits played. But, people had remained for one particular reason and that was the musical score that played during the final credits was the song Ben performed by Michael Jackson.
People lined up around the block to actually see a B-Rated Horror film just to hear Michael Jackson sing. The only thing that tied this into being what is considered an epilogue was the star of the show was a rat and the song was about the relationship between the rodent and the boy. I’m sure there are some directors and producers out there looking to put together their Easter Egged filled surprise, it will have a musical compliment that will cause audiences to flip out and wish to sit through another showing of their film. It has happened before. The question now is, are epilogues really necessary?
Are Epilogues necessary?
Unfortunately, this can only be answered by the person(s) who use them. Whether it is to stick something in that they had no other place to put it, or want to add some additional value to their work, or to draw eager attention to the following or continuation of their work, it is a personal choice. The only drawback I see is the inconvenience it causes by feeding that anticipation hunger that sometimes rear its ugly head and cause even higher expectations for what come next and the concession stand being closed because the workers are sitting next to you eager to see what is going to happen after the credits is shown. For now, I wouldn’t be surprise that Television show don’t adapt this concept and start placing 30-60 second movie style post-end credits scene in place of their brief look at the next episodes (commercial advertisement). As for me, the Epilogue is will always be the big finish after the big finish. SD
Unfortunately, this can only be answered by the person(s) who use them. Whether it is to stick something in that they had no other place to put it, or want to add some additional value to their work, or to draw eager attention to the following or continuation of their work, it is a personal choice. The only drawback I see is the inconvenience it causes by feeding that anticipation hunger that sometimes rear its ugly head and cause even higher expectations for what come next and the concession stand being closed because the workers are sitting next to you eager to see what is going to happen after the credits is shown. For now, I wouldn’t be surprise that Television show don’t adapt this concept and start placing 30-60 second movie style post-end credits scene in place of their brief look at the next episodes (commercial advertisement). As for me, the Epilogue is will always be the big finish after the big finish. SD
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