Y2K and the Millennial Virgil

An epigraph (literally, a “writing upon”) is a brief inscription at the beginning of a literary work, meant to suggest the book’s theme or convey its tone. Surprisingly, an epigram is almost a literary genre in itself, a fact you can verify quickly by googling “famous epigraphs.” My own favorite is E. M. Foster’s epigraph to Howard’s End, “only connect….” Its wistful poignance emerges only when you’ve read the book and realize that connecting is the key thing the characters can’t do.