PROSE – Literature
What is Prose?
Prose is a written or verbal language that follows the natural flow of speech. Prose is a common form of writing and it is used both in fiction and non-fiction. Prose came from the Latin words “prosa oratio”, which means “straightforward”.
We speak prose every day and most of us think and write in prose form. Prose is made up of full grammatical sentences, which contain paragraphs, and forgoes aesthetic appeal; in favor of straightforward and clear language. It is said to be the most reflective of conversational speech. There are some works of prose that have verification and a combination of two formats which are “prose poetry”.
Four Common Types of Prose
Prose differs depending on its style and purpose. There are four types of prose that writers use:
1. Nonfictional Prose. This type of prose is a true story or factual account of events or information. Newspapers, articles, and instructional manuals fall into this type of category. An example of non-fictional prose is Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl. It is made up of journal excerpts and recounts of the young teen’s experience of hiding her family from the Nazis who occupied the Netherlands during World War II.
2. Fictional Prose. This is the most popular type of prose used in short stories and novels. It has characters, a setting, a plot, and dialogues.
3. Heroic Prose. A type of prose that is either preserved through oral tradition or written down but is used to be recited. Heroic prose is normally a fable or a legend. Norse Prose Edda is an example of heroic prose.
4. Prose Poetry. This literary amalgam can have rhythmic and rhyming patterns sometimes. Charles Baudelaire, a French poet, wrote prose forms which include “Be Drunk”, which starts off: “And if sometimes, on the steps of a palace or the green grass of a ditch, in the mournful solitude of your room”.
Function of Prose
Prose is used when the writer wants to tell a story to express or convey his ideas or thoughts. It is mostly the standard style of writing that is used for spoken dialogues, fiction, and factual writing. It is also the common language used in magazines, literature, newspapers, encyclopedias, philosophy, broadcasting, law, history, sciences, and many forms of communication.
