UNDERSTANDING PROSE: AN INTRODUCTION

 

The word prose comes from the Latin word prosus, meaning direct or straightforward.

Prose is a form of writing used to communicate ideas, thoughts, feelings, and information clearly and directly.

It is the language of everyday communication.

It focuses on both:

What is said (subject matter)

How it is said (style).

Different subjects and purposes produce different styles of prose.

2. Prose and Poetry

The French critic Paul Valéry compared:

Prose to walking

Poetry to dancing

Why is prose like walking?

Walking has a practical purpose. Similarly, ordinary prose aims:

to provide information,

to explain,

to instruct,

to communicate ideas.

Why is poetry like dancing?

Dancing exists mainly for enjoyment and aesthetic pleasure. Similarly, poetry focuses on:

beauty,

imagination,

emotions,

artistic expression.

3. Literary Prose

Literary prose is different from ordinary prose because:

language itself becomes important;

style and content work together;

it creates aesthetic pleasure.

The Indian term Sahitya means togetherness, referring to:

sound and sense,

form and content.

In great literature, form and meaning cannot be separated.

Denotation and Connotation

Denotation

The literal or dictionary meaning of a word.

Example:

"Stone" = a hard object.

Connotation

The suggested or associated meaning of a word.

Example:

"He has a heart of stone."

Meaning:

cruel, hard-hearted.

Example: Home

Denotation:

a place where one lives.

Connotations:

love,comfort,security, warmth, family.

Poetry and literary prose depend heavily on connotations.

5. Varieties of Prose

The three major varieties are:

Descriptive Prose

Narrative Prose

Expository Prose

These categories are not completely separate. A single work may contain all three.

A. Descriptive Prose

Descriptive prose describes:

people,places,objects,events, feelings.

Its purpose is to create a vivid picture in the reader's mind.

Characteristics

Rich in details.

Appeals to the senses.

Creates atmosphere and mood.

Like a "painting in words."

Example

The description of Mr. Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby shows how details can create a vivid image of a character.

Important Point

Description is usually combined with narration or exposition rather than existing independently.

B. Narrative Prose

Narrative prose tells a story or presents a sequence of events.

It may deal with:

real events, imaginary events, external actions,

internal emotions and thoughts.

Characteristics

Focuses on action.

Contains characters and events.

Has a sequence.

Six Important Questions in Narrative

According to Rudyard Kipling:

What?

Why?

When?

How?

Where?

Who?

A good narrative answers all these questions.

Examples

Ramayana

Mahabharata

Novels

Short stories

Biographies

Autobiographies

C. Expository Prose

Definition

Expository prose explains, interprets, defines, or analyses.

It deals with:

science,

philosophy,

law,

history,

politics,

criticism.

Characteristics

Logical.

Clear.

Objective.

Informative.

Its main purpose is explanation.

Example

The essay "Freedom" by George Bernard Shaw explains the idea of slavery using logical arguments and examples.

Forms of Prose

A. Short Story

A short fictional narrative that produces a single effect.

Features

Short in length.

Few characters.

Single theme.

Beginning, middle, and end.

Creates one dominant impression.

B. Novel

Definition

A long fictional work written in prose.

Features

Complex plot.

Many characters.

Broad view of life.

Realistic representation of society.

According to E. M. Forster:

Story:

"The King died and the Queen died."

Plot:

"The King died and then the Queen died of grief."

The second sentence shows cause and effect and therefore forms a plot.

C. Essay

The word comes from the French word essai, meaning attempt.

Types of Essays

1. Informal Essay

Personal.

Conversational.

Entertaining.

2. Formal Essay

Serious.

Objective.

Analytical.

Evaluative.

D. Biography

The story of another person's life.

Characteristics

Objective.

Balanced.

Presents important events.

E. Autobiography

The story of one's own life.

Characteristics

Subjective.

Written in retrospect.

Based on memory and personal experiences.

F. Other Forms of Prose

Diary

Speeches

Letters

Travelogues

7. Figures of Speech

Figures of speech make language:

vivid,

imaginative,

expressive.

1. Simile

Comparison using like or as.

Examples:

As sweet as honey.

White like snow.

2. Metaphor

Indirect comparison without "like" or "as."

Example:

"The road snaked its way up the mountain."

3. Image

A word or phrase creating a sensory picture.

It may appeal to:

sight,

hearing,

smell,

touch,

taste.

4. Symbol

Something that represents something else.

Example:

A dove = peace.

5. Personification

Giving human qualities to non-human things.

Example:

"The sun traced his footsteps across the sky."

6. Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration.

Example:

"I nearly died of laughing."

7. Understatement (Litotes)

Litotes is a rhetorical figure of speech that deliberately expresses a positive statement by negating its opposite, usually resulting in an understated effect. 

Everyday Expressions"The dinner was not too bad" (Meaning: It was actually quite good.)

"That's no small task" (Meaning: That is a very difficult or massive task.)

"It is not uncommon for delays to happen" (Meaning: Delays happen frequently.)

"She is no amateur" (Meaning: She is highly skilled or a professional.)

8. Irony

Saying one thing but meaning another.

Irony creates:

humour,

surprise,

deeper meaning.

As a literary device, irony implies a distance between what is said and what is meant. Based on the context, the reader is able to see the implied meaning in spite of the contradiction.

In the play Julius Caesar, Mark Antony says, “But Brutus says he was ambitious, And Brutus is an honorable man.” This is verbal irony, as Antony is really implying that Brutus is neither ambitious nor honorable.

 In Macbeth there is dramatic irony, where King Duncan says he trusts Macbeth despite us knowing that Macbeth secretly plans to murder King Duncan.