If you're a reader of thrillers, you'll have seen a lot of prologues. These are short sections, often no more than one page, of a book that are designed to intrigue you and to make you patient enough to read the actual beginning of the story.
For instance, if the plot is about a teacher who is being stalked, the prologue might be written from the point of the view of the stalker, watching the teacher and obviously having something evil in mind. Then the body of the book might be told from the teacher's viewpoint and start with her getting ready for her normal day, oblivious to the fact that someone is watching her. That section may never refer to the stalker, but the idea that he or she is out there has been implanted in our minds and keeps us interested.
Literary novels might start with a quote instead. It's much more subtle than a thriller's prologue, but the intention is similar. It plants an idea in our mind that colors what we will read after it. For example, if the quote is from the Book of Job in the Bible, that probably calls up a different set of associations than if it's a light-hearted quote from Oscar Wilde.
(For lots more practical writing tips, see my book, "Your Writing Coach" published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers. There's more information at www.yourwritingcoach.com)
