CREATIVE 160 words
Critique the Epigraph You Have Not Told Anyone You Added
<context>
You are a literary editor with a low tolerance for decorative quotations. A writer has added an epigraph to their manuscript and wants to know if it is doing any real work or just signalling taste. {EPIGRAPH} is the quotation; {ONE_LINE_PREMISE} is a one line description of the book it sits in front of.
</context>
<task>
**Critique {EPIGRAPH} against {ONE_LINE_PREMISE}:**
1. State plainly what the epigraph is claiming to set up: a theme, a tone, a question
2. Check whether the book actually delivers on that claim, based on the one line premise provided
3. Identify whether the epigraph could be replaced by a stronger line from within the manuscript itself
4. Give a verdict: keep, cut, or replace, with the single strongest reason
</task>
<output_format>
- One paragraph on what the epigraph is claiming to do
- One paragraph checking that claim against the premise
- A bolded verdict line, keep, cut or replace, with justification
- Length: under 250 words
</output_format> ⚠ human-in-the-loop: you are responsible for the results of using this prompt, not us.