58:
Purple prose is criticized for desaturating the meaning in an author's text by overusing melodramatic and fanciful descriptions. As there is no precise rule or absolute definition of what constitutes purple prose, deciding if a text, passage, or complete work has fallen victim is subjective.
42:
flow by drawing undesirable attention to its own extravagant style of writing, thereby diminishing the appreciation of the prose overall. Purple prose is characterized by the excessive use of adjectives, adverbs, and
63:, "It takes a certain amount of sass to speak up for prose that's rich, succulent and full of novelty. Purple is immoral, undemocratic and insincere; at best artsy, at worst the exterminating angel of depravity."
312:
278:
450:
445:
159:
242:
440:
189:
430:
81:
192:, a group of journalists who sneak the phrase "It was as if an occult hand had…" into published copy
60:
27:
380:
308:
302:
274:
268:
177:
126:
435:
455:
20:
424:
345:
216:
174:, one of four rhetorical modes, along with exposition, argumentation, and narration
171:
195:
165:
39:
19:
This article is about the literary term. For the album by Deep Purple, see
186:, deliberate excess of literary devices fashionable in 1580s English prose
183:
44:
16:
Prose text that is overwritten in a way that disrupts a narrative flow
76:
393:
but this was not the place for them. If you can realistically render
162:, to find "the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels"
388:
134:
35:
395:
a cypress tree, would you include one when commissioned to paint
198:, in which a speech or writing uses more words than is necessary
87:
47:. When it is limited to certain passages, they may be termed
168:, a communication principle of eliminating redundancy
141:
To draw a cypress tree: so what, if you've been given
79:(Quintus Horatius Flaccus, 65–8 BC) who wrote in his
139:
There's no place for them here. Perhaps you know how
131:
The winding stream hastening through lovely fields,
106:sed nunc non erat his locus. Et fortasse cupressum
143:Money to paint a sailor plunging from a shipwreck
108:scis simulare; quid hoc, si fractis enatat exspes
372:Your opening shows great promise, and yet flashy
104:aut flumen Rhenum aut pluuius describitur arcus;
102:et properantis aquae per amoenos ambitus agros
93:Inceptis grauibus plerumque et magna professis
75:is derived from a reference by the Roman poet
117:Weighty openings and grand declarations often
8:
346:"Horatti Flacci Ars Poetica – epistulae 3"
55:, standing out from the rest of the work.
334:Horace (18 BC). Ars Poetica. Lines 14–21.
100:adsuitur pannus, cum lucus et ara Dianae
208:
397:a sailor in the midst of a shipwreck?
385:or a stream meandering through fields,
7:
137:, or the rainbow's being described.
98:, late qui splendeat, unus et alter
273:. Broadview Press. pp. 194–.
14:
110:nauibus, aere dato qui pingitur?
379:a sacred grove, or the altar of
307:. HarperCollins. pp. 147–.
241:West, Paul (15 December 1985).
1:
217:"A Word a Day – purple prose"
180:, unnecessary use of synonyms
160:Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
123:patches tacked on, that gleam
415:Dictionary of Literary Terms
243:"In Defense of Purple Prose"
377:patches; as when describing
472:
18:
301:Macrone, Michael (1994).
190:Order of the Occult Hand
91:
38:text that may disrupt a
413:Coles Editorial Board,
366:Alternative translation
129:'s grove and her altar,
417:, Rama Brothers, 2001.
400:
267:Nixon, Cheryl (2008).
115:
451:Descriptive technique
369:
344:Kline, A. S. (2005).
446:Fiction-writing mode
125:Far and wide, when
247:The New York Times
28:literary criticism
270:Novel Definitions
178:Elegant variation
151:
150:
34:is overly ornate
463:
401:
363:
357:
356:
354:
352:
341:
335:
332:
326:
325:
323:
321:
304:It's Greek to Me
298:
292:
291:
289:
287:
264:
258:
257:
255:
253:
238:
232:
231:
229:
227:
213:
119:Have one or two
88:
471:
470:
466:
465:
464:
462:
461:
460:
441:Style (fiction)
421:
420:
410:
405:
404:
399:
396:
394:
392:
391:, or a rainbow;
386:
384:
378:
373:
364:
360:
350:
348:
343:
342:
338:
333:
329:
319:
317:
315:
300:
299:
295:
285:
283:
281:
266:
265:
261:
251:
249:
240:
239:
235:
225:
223:
215:
214:
210:
205:
156:
147:
144:
142:
140:
138:
132:
130:
124:
118:
112:
109:
107:
105:
103:
101:
99:
94:
85:(lines 14–21):
69:
53:purple passages
24:
21:Purple Passages
17:
12:
11:
5:
469:
467:
459:
458:
453:
448:
443:
438:
433:
423:
422:
419:
418:
409:
406:
403:
402:
370:
358:
336:
327:
314:978-0062720443
313:
293:
280:978-1770482074
279:
259:
233:
207:
206:
204:
201:
200:
199:
193:
187:
181:
175:
169:
163:
155:
152:
149:
148:
113:
68:
65:
49:purple patches
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
468:
457:
454:
452:
449:
447:
444:
442:
439:
437:
434:
432:
429:
428:
426:
416:
412:
411:
407:
398:
390:
387:or the river
382:
376:
367:
362:
359:
347:
340:
337:
331:
328:
316:
310:
306:
305:
297:
294:
282:
276:
272:
271:
263:
260:
248:
244:
237:
234:
222:
221:Wordsmith.org
218:
212:
209:
202:
197:
194:
191:
188:
185:
182:
179:
176:
173:
170:
167:
164:
161:
158:
157:
153:
146:
136:
133:Or the river
128:
122:
114:
111:
97:
90:
89:
86:
84:
83:
78:
74:
66:
64:
62:
59:According to
56:
54:
50:
46:
41:
37:
33:
29:
22:
414:
374:
371:
365:
361:
349:. Retrieved
339:
330:
318:. Retrieved
303:
296:
284:. Retrieved
269:
262:
250:. Retrieved
246:
236:
224:. Retrieved
220:
211:
145:In despair?
120:
116:
95:
92:
80:
73:purple prose
72:
70:
57:
52:
48:
32:purple prose
31:
25:
431:Narratology
252:26 December
226:26 December
172:Description
82:Ars Poetica
425:Categories
408:References
196:Verbosity
166:Concision
96:purpureus
71:The term
61:Paul West
45:metaphors
40:narrative
351:June 17,
184:Euphuism
154:See also
436:Fiction
67:Origins
456:Horace
375:purple
320:19 May
311:
286:19 May
277:
121:purple
77:Horace
389:Rhine
381:Diana
203:Notes
135:Rhine
127:Diana
36:prose
353:2019
322:2013
309:ISBN
288:2013
275:ISBN
254:2014
228:2014
51:or
26:In
427::
368::
245:.
219:.
30:,
383:,
355:.
324:.
290:.
256:.
230:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.