Concept in Definition ABC

In the novel, the cinema, the theater or the comic all kinds of stories are told and for this their creators can resort to various narrative techniques and ways of sequencing very different events.

A prequel is a approach narrative in which a plot is presented that refers to another already known to the public. Usually the prequel tells the background of a story. In other words, it is a work of fiction in which the second part of something tells the story before the first part.

What-if prequel scenario

A writer becomes famous because he writes a novel about aliens visiting our planet to transform themselves into pets with the intention of manipulating humans. The novel is titled "Pets of the galaxy"and it becomes a world best seller. Faced with this circumstance, the writer decides to tell a new story entitled "Lost in the universe" and which deals with what happened before the arrival of the aliens on Earth. The prequel would be this last novel, which at the time of being read the reader normally already knows the plot of the first story. Thus, "Lost in the universe" is the second part of "Pets of the galaxy" but chronologically it is the first part.

Real examples of prequel in the cinema

In recent film history there are several prequel examples. Thus, some of the most famous film series resort to the prequel as technique narrative, just like in the movies about the planet of the apes, Star Wars, the Godfather saga, the Batman or Indiana Jones movies.

A business strategy

More than a narrative technique in the strict sense, the prequel is a strategy commercial to attract the public. If a movie were not successful, it would be absurd to tell a story about the movie's background.

The viewer of a prequel is faced with a very particular circumstance, since he already knows what it is. the plot that follows the movie he is watching and this aspect can be especially attractive.

The origin of the term and the Bible as the first antecedent

This word is an adaptation or tracing of the English “Prequel”, a term that began to be used in the Anglo-Saxon world a few decades ago and that in recent years has become popular globally.

This way of telling stories is not something totally new, since in the Bible it is possible to find narrative aspects similar to the prequel.

Photos: Fotolia - Poladroid / Gstudio