Prose - Types of Prose

PROSE

Prose is one of the genres of literature that deals with storytelling. It is usually a continuous piece of writing like an essay. It makes detailed analysis and description of events, setting and character: It is written in paragraphs without metre and rhyme. The author explains everything and leaves the reader to draw his conclusion. The writer of a novel is called a novelist. Objectivity is central to narrative fiction. One of the following is a narrative technique in the novel: A. Character B. interesting story C. Flashback D. Logical conclusion E. Social relevance (JAMB1978 Q23) Option C is correct. TYPES OF PROSE 1. Fiction: It is an imaginary story which is not real. It is based on the Writer’s imagination, creativity and inspiration. Chinua Achebe’s Things fall Apart and David IIuebe’s Irrevocable Mistake are good examples of fiction. 2. Non-Fiction: This is a true life story and such a story could be biography or autobiography e.g Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Native Son, etc. KINDS OF PROSE (a) Novel: It is a long, fictitious writing which shows real life story with imaginary charcters. A novel usually has setting, plot, character and conflict. A novel should not be less than 15,000 words. (b) Novella: It is a fictional prose narrative that is neither a full length Novel nor a short story. It is usually longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. A good example is The old man and the sea by Ernest Hemingway. (c) Novelette: The plot of a novelette is usually short and simple. The difference between a novel and a novelette is the length, e.g. Chike and the River by Chinua Achebe. (d) Epistolary: It is a novel written in form of a letter. Example is Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter. (e) Picaresque: It deals with adventures of rogues and vagabonds and it concentrates on their travelling or a journey, e.g Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. (1884). (f) Short Story: It is shorter than a novelette. Short stories are collected like poems to form a book. Example is Chinua Achebe’s Girls at War. (g) Faction: It is another new prose genre which involves the blend of “fact” “and” “fiction”, e.g Just before the down by koleomotoso. NARRATIVE POINTS OF VIEW: Point of view refers to the way in which a story is told. Such angles of expression include:

(i) First Person Point of view: Here the writer writes what happens to him and what he sees or hears and what happens to other characters. The writer uses first person pronoun “I”, “me” “us” and “we”. e.g Robert Stevenson’s Treasure Island. (ii) Third Person Point of View: The writer reveals the mind of two or more characters. He creates a balance of opinion among the characters. Third person narrator is also known as Omniscient narrator. He acts like God who sees everywhere. It uses third person pronoun like “he” “she” “it” “they” “them” e.g Asare Konadu’s A woman in her prime. (iii) Stream of Consciousness: The term was coined by a psychologist called William James. It is a narrative mode that seeks to portray an individual’s point of view by giving the character’s thought processes. The reader follows the mind of the character instead of the sequence of physical events in the novel. The prime example is James Joyce’s Ulysses Fable: It is a novel where animals are given human character with an allegorical tale. George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a good example. Narrative Prose: It is usually based on a real event which maybe historical in nature. It includes: biography, autobiography and letter. Emotive Prose/Novel: It deals with emotion, feeling, joy, pain, pity and sorrow. It is all full of suspense and surprise. They always have obscene chapters. Examples are Mills and Boons and other super romance novels. Historical Novel: It tales its setting and character from history. Bildungsroman or Erziehungsroman (Novel of Education or formation) is a novel which presents the development of a character mostly from childhood to maturity. It usually contains conflicts and struggles which are overcome by the protagonist in the end. Example is James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a young man. Kunst;errman is also an artist, novel which presents the protagonist artistic desting and mastery of an artistic craft. Gothic Novel: It deals with chilling terror by exploiting mystery and horror, usually set in desolate landscapes. The heroes and heroines are usually confronted by supernatural forces. Emily Bronte’s Withering Heights and Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations are examples of gothic novels. Adventure Novel: A novel where exciting events are more important than characters development and theme e.g Alexander Dunmas’s The Three Musketeers.