Prose: Definition, Types, and Fictional Elements

Prose: Definition and Types

• Prose is the most common form of writing, found in both fiction and non-fiction.
• It follows the natural flow of speech and regular grammatical conventions.
• Prose derives from the Latin terms "prosa oratio."

Types of Prose

• Novel: A long fictional narrative divided into chapters.
• Short Story: A prose fiction focusing on a single, impactful incident.
• Play: A literary work intended for the stage, divided into acts.
• Fable: A fictitious story that conveys a moral lesson.
• Legend: A story about the origin of something.
• Anecdote: A short, engaging story about a real person or event.
• Essay: A short composition about a single subject, reflecting a personal point of view.
• Biography: An account of a person's life.

Elements of Fiction

• Fiction: A literary work based on the author's imagination, encompassing short stories and novels.
• Setting: The time and place where the story takes place.
• Character: People, animals, or imaginary beings participating in the story.
• Plot: The sequence of events in the story.

Plot Diagram

• Exposition: The beginning of the story, introducing characters and the setting.
• Rising Action: Events leading to the climax.
• Climax: The most exciting part revealing the story's outcome.
• Falling Action: Events leading to the resolution.
• Resolution: The end of the story.

More Elements of Fiction

• Theme: The central idea of a literary piece.
• Point of View: The method the writer uses to present ideas.
• Conflict: The opposition of characters or forces.

Types of Conflict

• Man vs. Nature: The struggle between humanity and the natural world.
• Man vs. Man: The conflict between opposing characters.
• Man vs. Himself: The conflict within individual characters.

Other Elements

• Symbol: An object representing an abstract idea.

Poetry: Definition and Types

• Poetry is an artistic expression of an idea in a rhythmic pattern.
• It's a universal language appreciated across ages and cultures.

Figures of Speech

• Simile: Comparing unlike things using "like" or "as."
  • Example: You feel up the senses like a night in the forest.
• Metaphor: An implied comparison of unlike things.
  • Example: Good friends are diamond.
• Personification: Giving human attributes to inanimate objects or concepts.
  • Example: Beneath me, the lake was black, but it gurgled, whispered, and snored.
• Hyperbole: An exaggerated expression.
  • Example: This bag weighs a ton.
• Irony: The opposite of what is real.
  • Example: It was very kind of you to disclose my secrets.
• Apostrophe: Addressing an absent, dead, or non-human entity.
  • Example: “O, Romeo, my Romeo, wherefore are thou Romeo?”
• Metonymy: Using one thing to represent something related to it.
  • Examples: Crown - power of a king or queen; Dish - entire plate of food.
• Synecdoche: Using a part to represent the whole.
  • Example: The captain commands one hundred sails. "Sail" refers to ships.
• Antithesis: Contrasting ideas using parallel grammatical structure.
  • Examples: "Love is an ideal thing; marriage is a real thing." "Man proposes, God disposes." "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Point of View

• First Person: The narrator is a character in the story.
• Third Person: The narrator is an observer.
• Omniscient: The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters.

Explore the definition and types of prose, including novels, short stories, and essays. Understand the elements of fiction, such as setting and plot. Discover the characteristics that distinguish prose from other forms of writing.