Further reading

• 'Rhythm of Prose', William Morrison Patterson, Columbia University Press 1917
• Kuiper, Kathleen (2011). Latin was a major influence on the development of prose in many European countries. Especially important was the great Roman orator Cicero (106 – 43 BC).^[3] It was the lingua franca among literate Europeans until quite recent times, and the great works of Descartes (1596 – 1650[), Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626), and Baruch Spinoza (1632 – 1677[) were published in Latin. Among the last important books written primarily in Latin prose were the works of Swedenborg (d. 1772), Linnaeus (d. 1778), Euler (d. 1783), Gauss (d. 1855), and Isaac Newton (d. 1727).

  Qualities

  Prose usually lacks the more formal metrical structure of the verses found in traditional poetry. It comprises full grammatical sentences (other than in stream of consciousness narrative), and paragraphs, whereas poetry often involves a metrical or verses found in traditional poetry. It comprises full grammatical sentences (other than in stream of consciousness narrative), and paragraphs, whereas poetry often involves a metrical or rhyming scheme. Some works of prose make use of rhythm and verbal music. Verse is normally more systematic or formulaic, while prose is closer to both ordinary, and conversational speech.

  In Molière's play Le Bourgeois gentilhomme the character Monsieur Jourdain asked for something to be written in neither verse nor prose, to which a philosophy m

  In Molière's play Le Bourgeois gentilhomme the character Monsieur Jourdain asked for something to be written in neither verse nor prose, to which a philosophy master replies: "there is no other way to express oneself than with prose or verse", for the simple reason being that "everything that is not prose is verse, and everything that is not verse is prose".^[4]

  American novelist Truman Capote, in an interview, ommented as follows on prose style:

  I believe a story can be wrecked by a faulty rhythm in a sentence— especially if it occurs toward the end—or a mistake in paragraphing, even punctuation. Henry James is the maestro of the semicolon. Hemingway is a first-rate paragrapher. From the point of view of ear, Virginia Woolf never wrote a bad sentence. I don't mean to imply that I successfully practice what I preach. I try, that's all.^[5]

  TypesMany types of prose exist, which include that used on works of nonfiction, prose poem,^[6] alliterative prose, and that found in works of fiction.

  • A prose poem – is a composition in prose that has some of the qualities of a poem.^[7]
  • Haikai prose – combines haiku and prose.
  • Prosimetrum – is a poetic composition which exploits