Prose
"Prose" -- Some Basic Definitions
- Prose is not poetry (verse) written with attention
paid to rhythm, meter, rhyme, visual arrangement, etc.
- Prose uses standard sentences and paragraphs.
"Prose" -- The American Heritage College Dictionary
- Ordinary speech or writing, without metrical structure.
- Commonplace expression or quality.
"Prose" -- The Encarta World English Dictionary
- Language that is not poetry.
- Writing or speech in its normal continuous form,
without the rhythmic or visual line structure of poetry.
- Ordinary style of expression.
- Writing or speech that is ordinary or matter-of-fact,
without embellishment.
"Prose" -- A Handbook to Literature
- In its broadest sense the term is applied to all forms
of written or spoken expression not having a regular rhythmic pattern. Prose
is most often meant to designate a consciously shaped writing, not merely a
listing of ideas or a catalog of objects. And, although good prose is like
verse in having a rhythm, it is unlike verse in that this rhythm is not to be
scanned by normal metrical schemes or marked by such devices of reiteration as
free verse exploits. But a clear line between prose and poetry is difficult to
draw. Some of the qualities of prose are: (1) It is without sustained rhythmic
regularity; (2) it has some logical grammatical order, and its ideas are
connectedly stated rather than merely listed; (3) it is characterized by
style; (4) it will achieve a variety of expression through varied diction.
One Further Distinction of "Prose"
- Nonfiction Prose -- true, real, etc. -- examples:
reports, analyses, evaluations, etc.
- Fiction Prose -- imaginative, made-up, etc. -- short
stories, novels, plays, etc.
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM # 1 -- "AIMS"
The Primary "Aims" (or Purposes, or Goals) for Writing
- To Express or Share
- To Inform
- To Persuade
- To Entertain
A Classification of Prose -- Based on the “Aims”
- Expressive Writing -- (a.k.a. "Personal")
- Referential Writing -- (a.k.a. “Informative” or
“Expository”)
- Persuasive Writing -- (a.k.a. "Argumentative")
- Literary Writing -- (a.k.a. "Literature")
The Organizational Plan for The Writer's Presence
(a textbook) -- The Aims
- Private Writing
- Personal Writing
- Expository Writing
- Argumentative Writing
- Fiction Writing
Our Class for 2007-2008 is Set Up Using This Framework
|
We Will Read |
We Will Write |
| A work of prose literature |
An expressive / personal essay |
| Several personal essays |
An expository / informative /
analytical essay |
| Several expository essay |
An argumentative / evaluative
essay |
| Several argumentative essays |
An argumentative / critique essay |
Note: Even though we are going to write three
different kinds of essays, the "style" of writing we will be doing is called
"Academic Writing" -- as opposed to "Creative Writing" or "Business Writing"
or "Technical Writing" or "Journalism."
Follow this link to see
the Table of Contents for our custom Mercury Reader for this class.
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM # 2 -- "RHETORICAL
MODES"
The Chief "Modes" or Types of Composition
- Narration
- Description
- Exposition
- Argumentation
The "Modes" or Methods of Exposition
- Exemplification or Illustration
- Process Analysis
- Comparison and Contrast
- Cause-and-Effect Analysis
- Classification and Division (Analysis)
- Definition
The Organizational Plan for Patterns for a Purpose
(a textbook)
-- The Rhetorical Modes
- Description
- Narration
- Exemplification
- Process Analysis
- Comparison and Contrast
- Cause-and-Effect Analysis
- Classification and Division
- Definition
- Argumentation
CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM # 3 -- "GENRES"
(further organized by the "aims")
The Most Common “Genres” of Writing
Expressive / Private Writing (to express, to share):
- Diaries
- Journals
- Letters
- Notes
- Lists
Expressive / Personal Writing (to express, to share):
- Autobiography (narratives)
- Memoir
- Character Sketch
- Descriptions
- Reflective Essays
- Informal Essays
- Formal Essays
Referential / Expository / Informative Writing (to refer,
to inform):
- Biography
- Profile
- Concept / Information Explanation Report -- e.g., a User’s Manual
- Definition
- Report
- Annotation
- Outline
- Summary
- Paraphrase
- Analysis
- News Article
- Feature Article
- Commentary
- Literary Analysis
- Synthesis of Sources
- Explication
- Research Proposal
- Bibliography
- Literature Review
- Public Documents
- Personal Ads
- Observation Report
- Informal Essays
- Formal Essays
Argumentative / Persuasive Writing (to persuade):
- Critique
- Position Paper
- Problem-Solution Proposal
- Evaluation / Review -- e.g., of a book, movie, concert, CD,
car, etc.
- Literary Analysis / Interpretation / Critique
- Editorial
- Letter to the Editor
- Opinion Column
- Op.-Ed. Piece
- Causal Analysis
- Definition
- Response Essay
- Argument Essay
- Advice Columns
- Movie Reviews
- Book Reviews
- Informal Essays
- Formal Essays
Literary (Fiction?) Writing (to entertain):
- Tale
- Short-Short Story ("flash" and “sudden” fiction)
- Short Story
- Nouvelle or Novelette
- Short Novel
- Novel
- Humor / Comedy
- Satire
Other:
- Business letters
- Personal letters
- Thank-you notes
- Invitations
- Gossip columns
- Do-it-yourself (DIY) manuals
- Product information guides
The Organizational Plan for The St. Martin's Guide
to Writing (a textbook) -- Aims / Genres
- Remembering Events
- Remembering People
- Writing Profiles
- Explaining a Concept
- Arguing a Position
- Proposing a Solution
- Justifying an Evaluation
- Speculating about Causes
- Interpreting Stories
The Organizational Plan for Reading Critically,
Writing Well (a textbook) -- Aims / Genres
- Autobiography
- Observation
- Reflection
- Explaining Concepts
- Evaluation
- Speculating About Causes or Effects
- Proposal to Solve a Problem
- Position Paper
The Organizational Plan for The Call to Write
(a textbook) -- Aims / Genres
- Letters
- Memoirs
- Public Documents
- Profiles
- Reports
- Commentaries
- Proposals
- Reviews
The Organizational Plan for The Norton Field Guide
to Writing (a textbook) -- Academic Genres
- Writing a Literacy Narrative
- Analyzing a Text
- Reporting Information
- Arguing a Position
- Abstracts
- Annotated Bibliographies
- Evaluations
- Lab Reports
- Literary Analyses
- Memoirs
- Profiles
- Proposals
- Reflections
- Reviews of Scholarly Literature
- Résumés and Application Letters
The Organizational Plan for Reading and Writing in
the Academic Community (a textbook) -- Academic Genres
- Response
- Comparison / Contrast
- Synthesis
- Argument
- Analysis
- Evaluation
- Literature Review
- Research