Dissecting a novel

Knowing all of the components of something means you better understand the order they should be in, and why they work together as well as they do – like baking a sweet treat! That’s why a story has so many different parts: not just the opening and continuation of the story, but the structure of a book as a whole.

In this blog post, you’ll learn about the main parts of a novel, and how it works to form a cohesive text. A lot of the time, it’s generally the same standard upheld by multiple publishers, although there may be a few slight differences, mostly in the order of sections. It’ll be helpful if you’re looking to reference, or even write your own full-length novel, so read on!

Front matter: contents page, index and dedication

The contents page is a map for the book, setting out the chapters in chronological order. This is a good point of reference for readers looking for specific sections, as they can refer to the page numbers to find specific sections. The contents page is often confused with the index page, which contains names, places or dates of specifically referenced things as well as their page number. Indexes are really useful for cookbooks, or books with multiple headings.

Another section found at the start of the book is the dedication: used for authors to give a shoutout to the people who matter to them, like family members or friends. Acknowledgements pages will come at either the start or the end of the book, and are often the main place where the thanks to contributors, publishers or other people instrumental to the book will be.

Front matter: forewords, title and preface

The introductory section at the front of the book provides additional information about the book or author. Often, it is written by someone other than the author and provides personal insight and background on the subject matter or author, especially if written by someone knowledgeable in the field or known to the author themselves.

A title page displays key information about the book – and in scientific or thesis papers, is especially detailed. It’s often a brief recap of the book’s author, title, subtitle, edition and other things that relate to the book’s publication. If you’re citing a book by hand, often all the information needed is kept on this page.

A book’s preface is kind of an extension of the introductory section, where the author uses the space to describe their process when writing the book. Any industry knowledge, in-depth research or inspirations for the book will likely be explored in detail here.

Middle matter: prologue and main chapters

The prologue is set within the same world as the story in fiction novels, to give the reader a preview of what’s to come and get them familiar with the world of the story. Often, a prologue will throw readers right into the action, so they are ready to follow the course of action as it unfolds. Sometimes, the prologue will be set in the past, showing the progression of the events to what they are now.

Then come the main chapters of the story – not too much description needed on this one, as you’re surely aware of how the meat of the story is often in the middle, like a delicious sandwich. These can vary in length, especially depending on how long the book is, and is totally dictated by the author’s vision in terms of characters, plot points and other included information.

End matter: epilogue and author bio

A book’s epilogue is a conclusion section, which rounds out the work. In some cases, it may summarise the main action – or, as is often seen in plays, to comment on the story and provide some morals for the audience to think about. It may also take place at a disconnect from the work, but in the same world, and give closure or explanation to some of the events that took place.

The author bio is a short description of the writer themselves, and is an interesting piece to include for an audience looking to learn more about the author. There will often be a picture of them, as well as a summary of their hobbies or other works.

End matter: bibliography and glossary

A book’s bibliography is a place to put all the works that the author consulted to write their work. Typically found in scientific or non-fiction works, these will be real-world sources which may have had an effect on (or are a historical record of) the events, characters or even plot of a non-fiction retelling. Academic writing goes hand-in-hand with a bibliography, which is meticulously referenced and ordered to make finding the references as easy as possible, adding credibility to the work.

The glossary defines any difficult to understand words used within the text, to facilitate the reader’s understanding of tricky concepts introduced by the writing. Most commonly used, again, for scientific writing, it could also be used in children’s literature for younger readers to grasp the meanings of new words.

Okay, stitch ’em back up!

So, did you enjoy your peek into the inner mechanisms of a book? Each component works to better the reading experience and provide extra helpful information for the reader. Like the musicians in a band, you can’t forget that each of them play their individual instruments to create the song as a whole.