This presentation contains an introduction to prose and its types.

1. ( A N D I T S T Y P E S )
Introduction to Prose

2. PROSE:
 The word 'prose' is taken from the Latin 'prosus'
which means 'direct' or 'straiqht'.
 Broadly speaking, prose is direct or straightforward
writing.
 It differs from most traditional poetry, where the
form has a regular structure, consisting verse based
on metre and rhyme.

3. VARIETIES OF PROSE
1. descriptive
2. narrative
3. expository.

4. 1. Descriptive Prose
 Descriptive writing describes things as they are or as
they appear to be.
 It can be the description of a person or a landscape
or an event.
 In descriptive writing, we are able to see things as
they are or were seen or heard or imagined by the
describer.

5. 2. Narrative Prose
 A narrative is a description of events.
 It may deal with external or internal events.
 The short story and novel come under the category of
narrative fiction.

6. 3. Expository Prose
 Expository writing deals in definition, explanation or
interpretation.
 It includes writing on science, law, philosophy,
technology, political science, history and criticism.
 It presents details concretely and exactly.

7. FORMS OF PROSE
 Some of the prose forms are;
 Novel
 Short story,
 Essay
 Biography
 Autobiography.

8. 1. Short Story
 A short story is not a novel in an abridged form.
 A short story is complete in itself.
 The characters and incidents are sketched in a few
effective strokes.
 A short story thus has intensity and a singleness of
purpose.

9. 2. Novel
 The word ‘novel’ has been derived from the Italian
word ‘novella’ which means “new”.
 A Novel is a long narrative work of fiction with
some realism.
 It is often in prose form and is published as a single
book.
 Similar to a short story, a novel has some features
like a representation of characters,
dialogues, setting, plot, climax, conflict,
and resolution.

10. 3. Essay
 An essay is a piece of prose composition usually of
moderate length.
 The word 'essay' derives from the French word essai
or attempt.
 It "attempts" to throw some light on the subject
under discussion.

11. 4. Biography
 A biography is the story of the life of an individual.
 A good biography usually tries to project an -
objective picture of the life of a particular person.
 It tries to make the reader share the hopes, the fears,
the interests and aspirations of that person.

12. 5. Autobiography
 In an autobiography, the writer attempts to reveal
selected experiences of his/ her own life in
retrospect.
 Here the picture presented is necessarily subjective.
 It presents the events and impressions of the past as
recollected by the writer at the time she/ he is
writing the autobiography.
 It cannot be a complete account of one's life, as the
future has still to be lived.