How do people feel about those little quotes at the top of chapters?

Craig McNeil

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Personally, though, I dislike them. Often they add nothing to my understanding or enjoyment of the chapter, and at times seem utterly random and irrelevant even as I finish the chapter and flip back to reread the quote at the beginning.

So put them in if you like--but only if they genuinely enhance or illuminate

I can't put it any better myself so I'm just quoting...

However, I often put quotes at the beginning of my books but I do make sure they're relevant! These quotes, while relevant, I always feel are a bit of a vanity on my part - they mean something to me, I feel they're important but if readers skip over them then they'll miss nothing! I also have the occasional tendency to put song titles in my chapter names.
 

litdawg

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Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread, but for the past few weeks I've opted to research a topic I'm interested in rather than post a new question. This thread on epigraphs was the most useful one for my purposes, but I have a related question that isn't directly addressed here:

What about "post-graphs" such as N.K. Jemisin inserts into the Broken Earth series? Some of them are taken from histories, some are "stone-lore" mythological wisdom, and some are snippets of personal correspondence between a main character and a never directly introduced lover/historian who is filling in the world a bit.

I found them off-putting at first because I was unused to dealing with them at the end of a chapter. I like stewing in the chapter's conclusion or suspense, and the post-graph jarred me out of that. However, I found myself eventually enjoying them, especially the stone-lore, because I liked the anthropological feel of the world-building. But having them at the end of the chapter was still weird, and I don't fully understand why she did it that way.

Can anyone enlighten me with a theory on her method there?
 
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Laer Carroll

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I HATE EM. HATE EM. THEY TOTALLY TURN ME OFF ON THE AUTHOR. I put her/him on my totally ignore list.

I don't care what reason you give for including them. I instantly throw the book away as if it reeks of some awful odor.
 

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My feeling about snippets of in-world lore or conversations at the beginning of chapters is neutral. Everything within a story should contribute to the book as a whole. Quotes should fit the tone or themes, and excerpts from in-world texts should build on the characterization of the MCs, the plot, or the world in ways that matter. I haven't read The Broken Earth (yet) or seen Jemisin explain the structure of her books; however, I think those passages should do the same work at the end as the beginning.
 

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Yes. Thank you. I thought I was the only one who loathed these.

Best case scenario, I skip them with a huff. I think that's what I did for The Broken Earth books, because I remember enjoying them, and I did not remember they include lore-snippets at the end of chapters. I think I just skipped them. I'd prefer them at the ends of chapters if they're included at all, as it makes them easier to skim/skip.

I couldn't tell you why Jemisin included them. Maybe she didn't want to restrict them to an epilogue or afterword, but didn't want to start each chapter with a dull textbook entry (which is a good instinct.) She makes a couple weird choices in that book, like the bit where she forcibly reminds the reader she hasn't mentioned islands anywhere. Not sure what that was about, either. I remembered the no-island thing.

The worst example I can think of was a snippet of in-world lore that SPOILED THE ENTIRE BOOK. Seriously. The book was about a young queen, will she make it or fall victim to assassination? Chapter 5, the epigraph is "Queen went down in history as one of the greatest Queens..." Far from my biggest problem with that book, but still. If the best way you can give me your lore is through textbook entries (which I'm going to skip) that's not a great sign.

I dislike chapter titles too, albeit not as strongly.
 

Auteur

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I've written a lot of songs over the years. I wonder if a few lines of original song lyrics would work at the beginning of each chapter if they related to what was going on in the chapter.
 

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The book was about a young queen, will she make it or fall victim to assassination? Chapter 5, the epigraph is "Queen went down in history as one of the greatest Queens..."

Haha, that's kind of amazing tbh.

I've toyed with the idea myself. I think it really depends on what your epigraph is actually used for. Real-world or made-up pseudo-intellectual quotes are just bleh, but I think ones that develop the worldbuilding can be cool. I'm thinking of the Princess Irulan quotes in Dune, for instance. Yes they're kind of pointless, but they give you an insight into the world that you can't really get from just plain dialogue.
 

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I dislike chapter titles too, albeit not as strongly.

Speaking as someone who titles her chapters, why do you dislike them?

I take care that they don't spoil anything, and most of them can only be completely understood in retrospect. But the reader can choose to ignore them, and that's fine, too.

Re epigraphs -- I don't mind them. Sometimes they add flavor to the story. A book I finished recently, The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal, had little news article clips at the head of each chapter, giving the reader a glimpse of related events going on in the larger world. I thought they complemented the story well.
 

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I've run across some writers who utilize them to good effect in fantasy or SF. They can provide context or world building information in small, relatively unobtrusive chunks. I doubt they offend anyone, as readers who don't care for them can always skip them.
 

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The worst example I can think of was a snippet of in-world lore that SPOILED THE ENTIRE BOOK. Seriously. The book was about a young queen, will she make it or fall victim to assassination? Chapter 5, the epigraph is "Queen went down in history as one of the greatest Queens..." Far from my biggest problem with that book, but still. If the best way you can give me your lore is through textbook entries (which I'm going to skip) that's not a great sign.

I dislike chapter titles too, albeit not as strongly.

I'm a bit perplexed that this would spoil the book for most readers. If the book is focused on the life of a young queen who is dealing with assassination threats, it's probably a no brainer that the book won't end with her death. A good book pulls people in, even if they know the protagonist will likely survive and ultimately succeed in the end. It's the how of the matter (and those moments where you forget that it's a story and so forget that things "have" to work out) that keeps one turning the pages.

Of course, if the book failed to do those things, that would be the real problem...

People like what they like, though. Enough successful authors utilize the technique that it probably doesn't turn that many readers off, though.

One of the most interesting approaches to pre-chapter epigraphs I've encountered are when writers manage to weave a second plot or story into them. I remember reading one book where the premise was that a young woman was reading a memoir and trying to launch an expedition to the country the writer of the memoir lived in. The memoir was the bulk of the story, but there was a secondary plot involving the brief notes at the beginning of each chapter.
 
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benacrow

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Speaking as someone who titles her chapters, why do you dislike them?

I take care that they don't spoil anything, and most of them can only be completely understood in retrospect. But the reader can choose to ignore them, and that's fine, too.

Re epigraphs -- I don't mind them. Sometimes they add flavor to the story. A book I finished recently, The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal, had little news article clips at the head of each chapter, giving the reader a glimpse of related events going on in the larger world. I thought they complemented the story well.

I'm also a big fan of chapter titles, and would be curious as to why others wouldn't. I can see where it would be an issue with many shorter chapters, but with longer chapters (particularly F/SF), I find that it provides a fun glimpse of what's to come without giving anything away (if done correctly). I agree that they shouldn't spoil the chapter, but I like to put hidden meanings that only make sense once the chapter is finished to give the reader that 'Ah, so that's why the chapter was titled like that'.
 

Moardragons

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Speaking as someone who titles her chapters, why do you dislike them?

I take care that they don't spoil anything, and most of them can only be completely understood in retrospect. But the reader can choose to ignore them, and that's fine, too.

They remind me I'm reading a book. Same with epigraphs. I do skip them and get to the actual chapter, but they still register a tiny bit.

As a writer, I never found them necessary. On a short story, a title is a must. Same with a novel. On a chapter, it feels like putting a title card before every scene in a film. The commentary isn't worth the loss of flow from one scene to the next.

Personally, I've never read a chapter, looked back at the title, and thought "ah how clever." I've also never looked at a chapter title and thought "oh cool, I bet this chapter is good." Once I'm with a book for the long haul, all I care about is the narrative.
 

JJ Litke

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One of the most interesting approaches to pre-chapter epigraphs I've encountered are when writers manage to weave a second plot or story into them. I remember reading one book where the premise was that a young woman was reading a memoir and trying to launch an expedition to the country the writer of the memoir lived in. The memoir was the bulk of the story, but there was a secondary plot involving the brief notes at the beginning of each chapter.

That sounds really cool.

I think this is like any other technique—it can be done well or poorly. Some books I’ll end up skipping the pretentious bit of prose tacked on before each chapter for no apparent reason. In the book I’m currently reading, No Country for Old Gnomes, the epigraphs are supposed quotes from publications set in this world, and they often cute or funny. Just added bits of humor, so I’m enjoying them.

If you really hate these, maybe you just haven’t seen them done well enough. I can usually get a feel early in a book if the epigraphs are going to be worth a few seconds of time. Done well, they should add to the world you’re reading, not distract from it.
 

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I never read them. Or the quotes you get at the beginning of some books. Or chapter titles. Or dates at the beginning of chapters.

It's not intentional; it's like my brain just refuses to acknowledge them.
 

BethS

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They remind me I'm reading a book. Same with epigraphs. I do skip them and get to the actual chapter, but they still register a tiny bit.

As a writer, I never found them necessary. On a short story, a title is a must. Same with a novel. On a chapter, it feels like putting a title card before every scene in a film. The commentary isn't worth the loss of flow from one scene to the next.

Personally, I've never read a chapter, looked back at the title, and thought "ah how clever." I've also never looked at a chapter title and thought "oh cool, I bet this chapter is good." Once I'm with a book for the long haul, all I care about is the narrative.

Thanks for the response! Different strokes, and all that.
 

Kjbartolotta

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Interesting thread. I love in-world epigraphs just, like, a whole bunch. Give me all that worldbuilding! I'd even read a book with epigraphs that contain footnotes, and consider that a pleasurable experience. I suspect this is an extreme attitude.

I recall with Dune specifically, the reason why it worked was because Herbert was capable of a fair degree of insight, it was not so much the depth of the world but the fact that he could connect it to our own experience. At least to me, YMMV.