Why Does “Front Matter” Matter?

Finding a memoir’s touchstone in its opening pages

Photo by mk. s on Unsplash

Have you ever really considered the purpose of introductions…or forewords…or prefaces…or prologues? Do you even know the difference between these various types of “front matter”? I’ve written in most of these forms, but I never gave their distinctions much thought until recently, when I was poring for the umpteenth time over…