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I love epigraphs, those sparkling word gems that a writer places at the beginning of the novel. The epigraph is a chance for the author to share what was on his/her mind when writing the book, or perhaps an intriguing hint of what’s to come. If done well, it will compel the reader to turn the page and begin reading.

Back in August 2021, James Scott Bell wrote “The How and Why of Epigraphs.” While I can’t improve on Jim’s post, I’ll add a few things I’ve read recently.

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According to masterclass.com

An epigraph is a short standalone quote, line, or paragraph that appears at the beginning of a book. The word epigraph is derived from the Greek epigraphein meaning “to write on.” The use of epigraphs varies from book to book, but generally, authors use them to set up themes or place the events of their story in context. Epigraphs are most commonly a short quotation from an existing work. Epigraphs usually appear offset by quotation marks at the beginning of a text, but there are no set rules dictating how writers use them.

 

Epigraphs can be quotes from other works, quotes from famous people, Biblical quotes, or they can be newly-minted words by the author for his/her specific work.

Here are ten examples of epigraphs to inspire and encourage us:

 

FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley

“Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
To mould me Man, did I solicit thee
From darkness to promote me?” –John Milton, Paradise Lost

 

 

 

CORALINE by Neil Gaiman

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.” –G.K. Chesterton

 

 

 

ANNA KARENINA by Leo Tolstoy

“Vengeance is mine, I shall repay, saith the Lord” –Romans 12:19

 

 

 

 

DISTANT STAR by Roberto Bolano

“What star falls unseen?” –William Faulkner

 

 

 

 

 

THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV by Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” –John 12:24

 

 

 

A HANDFUL OF DUST by Evelyn Waugh

“I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.” –T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land

 

 

THE QUIET AMERICAN by Graham Greene

“This is the patent age of new inventions,
For killing bodies, and for saving souls,
All propagated with the best of intentions.” –Lord Byron

 

 

 

LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN by Colum McCann

“All the lives we could live, all the people we will never know, never will be, they are everywhere. That is what the world is.” –Aleksandar Hemon, The Lazarus Project

 

 

 

INTO THIN AIR by Jon Krakauer

“Men play at tragedy because they do not believe in the reality of the tragedy which is actually being staged in the civilised world.” —José Ortega Y Gasset

 

 

 

THE END GAMES by T. Michael Martin

“Everything not saved will be lost”. –Nintendo “Quit Screen” message

 

 

 

So TKZers: What epigraphs have you used in your books? Do you have a favorite epigraph?

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Here’s the epigraph from Lacey’s Star:

“The truth is bitter, but with all its bitterness, it is better than illusion.” — Ahad Ha’Am

Available at  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, or Apple Books.