Definition
Epigraph
An epigraph is a short quotation placed at the start of a book, part or chapter to set its tone. It is typically set smaller than body text, ranged left or centred, with the source beneath.
Typographically an epigraph should read as a different voice: smaller, often italic, indented from both margins, with generous space before the text begins. The trap is legal rather than visual — quoting a living author's lines, and song lyrics especially, needs permission, and lyrics are among the most aggressively licensed text there is. Public-domain sources avoid the problem entirely.
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