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Epigraph

By Esther Lombardi, About.com

Definition:

An epigraph is a short inscription. In literature, writers insert an epigraph (a quotation, poem, or other selection) at the beginning of a work. The epigraph may also appear at the beginning (or end) of each chapter.

The author often uses the epigraph to set the tone of the work, to suggest a theme, or as a literary reference point (to link it with other works of literature). Some authors insert fictional quotations into a work of fiction to support the plot elements he/she is developing.
Common Misspellings:

epigraf
Examples:

T.S. Eliot inserted a long quotation from Dante's Inferno at the very beginning of "The Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock."

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