Prose: Literary and Non-Literary – SS1 Nigerian History Lesson Note (First Term)

Prose is writing in ordinary, straightforward language, as opposed to verse. A writer of prose is called a prose man or prosaist. Prose can be fiction or non-fiction, and it takes forms such as the novel, novelette, novella, fable and memoir. This note covers the terms, types and features of prose.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• define prose and state the meaning of common terms used in prose;
• list and describe the six types of prose;
• distinguish between fiction and non-fiction;
• explain the features of prose, including idioms and proverbs, paragraphs, sentences, slang and narrative technique.

What is prose?

Prose is a literary piece expressed in ordinary and straightforward language, other than in verse. The table below gives the terms used for different kinds of prose and for devices used in it.

Terms used in prose

What is a novel?

A good example of prose is the novel. A novel is a long prose narrative with a wide range of characters and experiences. A writer of novels is a novelist.

• Novelette: a short novel.
• Novella or novelle: a short story, often about an event.
• Epistolary novel: a novel written in the form of a letter, for example Mariama Ba’s “So Long A Letter”.

What are the types of prose?

1. Argumentative: a passage in which the pros and cons of an issue are presented with the aim of arriving at a logical solution.
2. Descriptive: a prose passage in which events, persons, places and things are given full exposure or simply described.
3. Dramatic: a passage in which persons (characters) speak one after the other in the form of dialogue.
4. Expository: a passage in which the presentation aims at clarifying, explaining and interpreting the subject.
5. Narrative: the word “narrative” means a story, so a prose narrative is a passage which aims at presenting a well-defined story.
6. Technical or scientific: a passage in which a specific or technical subject is presented. The language often contains a special vocabulary found only in the discussion of the subject.

What is the difference between fiction and non-fiction?

Fiction

“Fiction” comes from the Latin word “facio”, meaning “I make”. Fiction is therefore that which does not truly happen and is made to look as if it happened. Examples are “Arrow of God” by Chinua Achebe and “The Mayor of Casterbridge” by Thomas Hardy.

Some of the things that happen in fiction can also happen in real life, but the story is imaginary and therefore fictitious. Romance is another aspect of fiction. In romance, the things that happen in the novel are impossible in the real world.

Non-fiction

Non-fiction is the opposite of fiction. It is a record of a real-life situation which took place at some time about somebody. It can be an autobiography, which tells the story of the author by the author himself or herself. It can also tell the story of a person by another author, which is a biography.

What are the features of prose?

Idioms and proverbs

Writers often use idioms and proverbs to highlight or beautify a passage. Idioms are expressions that are peculiar to the language in which they are found. They have well-known meanings which are determined by culture rather than by language. For example:

• I was given the nod for the job (I was offered). This is an idiomatic use.
• We must ensure a quick dispensation of justice this time because justice delayed is justice denied. This is a proverbial utterance.

The paragraph

The paragraph is a device by which writers present a group of ideas in separate, composite units in a logical order. Paragraphs are marked off by indentation of the initial words in a line or by double-spaced margins. Traditionally, a paragraph focuses on one independent idea that it develops.

The sentence

A sentence is a group of interrelated words consisting of a subject and predicate, conveying a complete thought or emotion. There are three main types of sentences:

• Simple sentences: one clause.
• Complex sentences: one main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
• Compound sentences: two or more main clauses.

A sentence can be a statement, question, command, exclamation or salutation.

Slang

Slang is the colloquial use of words and phrases in a text. In literary writing, slang appears only as part of the dialogue. For example: “The coppers are all over the town” (police).

Narrative technique

Narrative technique is the way a writer chooses to present his or her story as part of style. It is often identified with the nature of the speaking voice in the text, which can take one of these forms:

• Third person or omniscient voice: an all-seeing, objective voice, for example in Hardy’s novels or Achebe’s.
• First-person narrative voice: a subjective speaker who directly addresses the reader, for example Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” and Okara’s “The Voice”.
• Epistolary: a highly subjective, personal voice in the form of a letter, for example Ba’s “So Long A Letter”.

Evaluation

1. Define prose and name the writer of prose.
2. What is the difference between a novelette and a novella?
3. List the six types of prose.
4. Explain fiction and non-fiction, and give one example of each kind of non-fiction named in the note.
5. Name the three forms of narrative voice and give one example of each.

Assignment

1. Explain the terms foreshadowing, parody and pot boiler.
2. Write one sentence that uses an idiom and one that uses a proverb.
3. Name the three main types of sentences and explain each one.