A concluding section at the end of a book, usually written by the author or an editor, that comments on or explains the text that came before.
Simple compound of 'after' and 'word.' Became standard literary terminology in the 20th century as publishers formalized book structure conventions.
While 'forewords' are written by other people to introduce a book, 'afterwords' let authors get the final word—it's like they're stepping back on stage after the curtain call to share one last thought!
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