Since I am sick of these overly used chapter titles, introduction and conclusions, I wanted to try something different.

So, can I use prologue and epilogue instead or they are exclusive to arts and literature?

Thanks

I'd look at examples in your own field - see ethos.bl.uk if you have none to look at in your department. In my experience academics don't like change, so its probably best to stick with convention

I agree with Sneaks, you should look at examples in your field. My feeling however is that the words "prologue" and "epilogue" do not belong to a thesis, not even one in literature or the arts (I come from the arts). Fact is, these words have a strong connection to "narrative", and I can only recall seeing them in novels or movies or tragedies (if you go back to the original use of the terms). As such they have a strong temporal component: prologue describes facts that happened before the main fact in the novel, epilogue describes facts that happened after it...
now, it's true that you should always create a narrative in every paper or talk or thesis (my sup always tells me that and I always tell this to my students in turn) but what you are writing is not a story, it is..well..an argument I'd say (isn't that what "thesis" stays for?)

so it's not just that academics don't like changes (which is so true!!) but maybe it's also that these words are actually not appropriate for the kind of object a thesis is..

just a thought :-)

I had a prelude to analysis and lived to regret it and had to 'correct' it [aka remove the label] after my viva

Amiragha,

I think you should be careful about your attempt to write "Prologue" and "Epilogue" in your thesis. The idea of "original research" in a thesis refers to the nature of work not the structure as such.

As far I know these words belong to movie scripts. Here are theses and dissertations repositories from around the world in all fields: http://bit.ly/IPiY3e .
See for yourself if anyone has ever used the words "Prologue" and "Epilogue".