The prose is a writing style that follows the natural flow of words. It is also believed that this kind of writing is the most popular in both fiction as well as non-fiction. The word comes from the Latin “prosa oratio,” meaning “straightforward.”
Before going into further details, it would be interesting to share the outlines. We will study in this brief but spectacular assignment, the types of prose, classical versus modern prose, the difference between prose and poetry, prominent prose writers and their works, different styles of prose, its evolution, and importance.
The prose is an ordinary language that follows regular grammatical conventions and does not contain a formal metrical structure. This definition of prose is an example of prose writing, as is the most human conversation, textbooks, lectures, novels, short stories, fairy tales, newspaper articles, and essays.
Most literary critics and readers agree that prose is the simplest and easiest way to deliver something. It vividly elaborates the themes and makes the text easier for readers by putting a story with characters, setting, conflict, a plot, and a final payoff.
Prose can be divided into four types. It can differ depending on the style and purpose.
Prose that is based on the facts and figures having a true story is nonfiction. In this regard, newspapers, books, diaries, and articles can be included in this type of prose.
The type of prose which is based on fiction is called fictional prose. It is the most prominent kind used in novels and short stories. It has a proper setting, plot, and character. Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist; Benjamin Disraeli, Sybil, and Charles Kingsley, Alton Locke are famous fictional working.
The prose that is in dramatic style written for oral or recitation is called heroic prose. Examples of heroic prose are the 13th-century Icelandic sagas. The “heroic sagas,” such as the Vǫlsunga saga (c. 1270) and the Thidriks saga (c. 1250), are based on the ancient Germanic oral tradition of the 4th to 6th century and contain many lines from lost heroic lays.
The last kind is prose poetry written in poetry form. It has rhythm and rhyme. French poet Charles Baudelaire wrote prose poems, including “Be Drunk” which starts: “And if sometimes, on the steps of a palace or the green grass of a ditch, in the mournful solitude of your room.”
It is noticeable that the modern prose style is slightly different from the classical style. Individualism, experimentation, absurdity, formalism, and symbolism are the chief characteristics of modern prose while in classic prose, the writer assumes equal footing with the reader. She acts as though she and the reader share the same viewpoint, and she directs both of their attention toward the subject.
The prose is a different kind of writing style from poetry as well. As we aforementioned that prose is a natural flow of language while poetry has a proper style. It specifically contains a metrical scheme and element of rhyme which generates elements of rhythm.
