The document defines and describes different types of prose. Prose is straightforward writing that differs from poetry in its lack of consistent structure like meter and rhyme. There are three main varieties of prose: descriptive writing depicts things as they are seen; narrative prose describes events; and expository prose involves definition, explanation or interpretation of topics. Some common forms of prose discussed include novels, short stories, essays, biographies, and autobiographies. Novels are long fictional narratives published as books, while short stories are complete works with intensity and a singular focus. Essays attempt to shed light on a topic, biographies tell the life of an individual, and autobiographies reveal selected experiences from the writer's own life.

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.