Readers: Do you read Prologues?

[Brayon]

If a writer includes a Prologue to their story, do you read it or skip it?

[Valkyrie]

If the author wrote a prologue, I would assume it's because it's necessary for the story.  I can't imagine why someone would skip reading it.  

[Brayon]

Just now, Valkyrie said:

I can't imagine why someone would skip reading it.

Neither can I, but I read a couple of articles today, where agents have said that it happens.

[Valkyrie]

3 minutes ago, BHopper2 said:

Neither can I, but I read a couple of articles today, where agents have said that it happens.

Interesting.  I'm curious now about why readers would feel the need to skip them.  

[clochette]

I do read prologues.

Like Val said if the author wrote one in must bring something to the story. But I must also admit I once stop reading one cause it wasn't really a prologue but more like descriptions of the characters. Another one, I think it was Val's Hollow Hill?, really confused me when the first chapter start and didn't "follow" the prologue but when later in the story it made sense it was more appreciated.

[Valkyrie]

29 minutes ago, clochette said:

I do read prologues.

Like Val said if the author wrote one in must bring something to the story. But I must also admit I once stop reading one cause it wasn't really a prologue but more like descriptions of the characters. Another one, I think it was Val's Hollow Hill?, really confused me when the first chapter start and didn't "follow" the prologue but when later in the story it made sense it was more appreciated.

The Hollow Hills doesn't have a prologue, so it wasn't that story   

[Page Scrawler]

8 hours ago, Valkyrie said:

If the author wrote a prologue, I would assume it's because it's necessary for the story.  I can't imagine why someone would skip reading it.  

I agree with this.

[Caz Pedroso]

11 hours ago, Valkyrie said:

If the author wrote a prologue, I would assume it's because it's necessary for the story.  I can't imagine why someone would skip reading it.  

 

I second (or is it third by now  ) this.

 

However, when i clicked yes on the poll it listed me as no  and won't let me change it. 

[dughlas]

Yes. It might provide necessary backstory.

[TetRefine]

Usually a prologue includes important backstories or foreshadows events to come. I can't really think of a prologue that wasn't necessary, or didn't at least add to, the story. So yes, I always read prologues and epilogues. 

[Timothy M.]

I usually do, but if the prologue is very short I may skip it and read it later. Or if it's info like character names I'll use it later to remind me who's who.

[Brayon]

4 hours ago, Caz Pedroso said:

However, when i clicked yes on the poll it listed me as no  and won't let me change it.

I looked at the Poll settings, and I can't change it to allow a revote. Maybe an Admin?

[Caz Pedroso]

Just now, BHopper2 said:

I looked at the Poll settings, and I can't change it to allow a revote. Maybe an Admin?

 

Doesn't matter, but thank you   As long as my comment is there then people know what I meant. I probably wasn't concentrating as much as I should have been, it will teach me to have my coffee before I log onto GA. 

[Brayon]

1 minute ago, Caz Pedroso said:

it will teach me to have my coffee before I log onto GA. 

That's been my problem this morning. I can't seem to wake up.

[Caz Pedroso]

1 minute ago, BHopper2 said:

That's been my problem this morning. I can't seem to wake up.

 

That's my problem most mornings  

[mollyhousemouse]

20 minutes ago, Caz Pedroso said:

 

Doesn't matter, but thank you   As long as my comment is there then people know what I meant. I probably wasn't concentrating as much as I should have been, it will teach me to have my coffee before I log onto GA. 

 

18 minutes ago, BHopper2 said:

That's been my problem this morning. I can't seem to wake up.

"first i do the coffee, then i do the things" is kind of my motto

 

17 hours ago, BHopper2 said:

If a writer includes a Prologue to their story, do you read it or skip it?

if a writer includes, i read it, heck if a writer includes links, i follow them too

[ReaderPaul]

I tend to agree with the comments.  If there is a prologue, I read it.  
Years ago I saw a prologue that partly made sense starting with chapter 1, then the rest made sense about 20 chapters in.

[Brayon]

Seeing the responses to this question and poll, I think the articles I read from "industry experts", was a bunch of bolognas. 

[Wesley8890]

I always read the prologue. To me it's just as important as an epilogue

[Daddydavek]

The problem with some prologues, is that if they don't grab my attention, I may stop reading and never even start the story.....

[Former Member]

I read Prologues because they often set up the story and make things easier to understand. I glance at the quotes some writers add above each chapter too. But I rarely check links – especially if it’s for a video. I don’t have unlimited bandwidth and don’t want to waste it on things like that! Some of us are very poor!  ;–)

 

I block autoplay of all videos. It offends me when some people refuse to describe what their video is (I see a large blank space). It only takes a few seconds to type in the title of the song or the name of the company in the ad or whatever. Gif avatars are annoying too because I can’t block them and their constant motion is distracting.

[Former Member]

2 minutes ago, Daddydavek said:

The problem with some prologues, is that if they don't grab my attention, I may stop reading and never even start the story.....

I’ve read a few that are as long as the chapters that follow!  ;–)

[AusGlitterati]

I like prologues well enough! I just get super mad when it's about a character who ends up dying in said prologue. I kind of feel cheated, putting my energy into this character just to have them die. 

[Ashi]

Though not an integral part of the story, like many said, prologue provides an important backstory or background to the story to come.  Though I admit I sometimes skip it at first then come back to it because sometimes I am afraid it might be a spoiler....  Personally if I included a prologue, it's very important.  I don't like prologues of classics stories because I dunno, they're boring.  Though Mary Shelley's Frankenstein's preface is super important (the 1818 edition).  I don't like reading some novel's forewords because they're written by other people....  Just some random thought.

[Reader1810]

I always read prologues. Even if they might not be crucial for understanding the story that’s to come, they always add something to it. That’s my opinion, anyway.