what does the term "purple prose" mean?

Question

and please no plagiarism from wikipedia.

Answer 1

Hahahahahaha!! I love the first two answers, esp. with the request to avoid wiki pasting :) Too rich...

Purple prose is really wordy and flowery writing that depends on a lot of descriptive adjectives and adverbs to evoke an emotional response, usually indicating that the story itself is weak and the author is trying to make up for it artificially.

Answer 2

The term actually originates from the great ancient poet Horace who was cirticizing the work of another author. At the time, purple was a very expensive dye, so generally speaking only the very rich could afford to have clothing that was purple (and why purple, historically speaking, is usually associated with nobility). However, during the Roman Empire, social climbers would sew purple patches of cloth onto cheap clothes in a (weak) attempt to make themselves look nicer than they were.

This is what Horace was referring to in the context of writing - being overly ornamental instead of concentrating on prodcuing good work. And critics still use the term in that sense today. It's usually not hard to tell if something is purple... for one, it's bad. There's nothing wrong inherently with being descriptive or ornamental, as long as it's appropriate. Purple prose, on the other hand, tends to wax on about things that are completely irrelevant. The second major sign of purpleness is using descriptive terms that nobody would use in real life, or which are so painfully over-used that they are hypercliche.

The 'classic' example of purple prose is the start of the novel "Paul Clifford":

"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents -- except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."

Here we have an agonizingly run-on sentance, cliche scenery (dark and stormy), self-contradicting text (the rain fell, except when it didn't), and things doing things in ways that they don't really do them (lamps struggling against darkness, etc). One could probably convey all the same information much better by drawing it out and making it much more like how people actually percieve surroundings. Here's another example from the same novel, which is perhaps much more purple:

"As soon as the Promethean spark had been fully communicated to the lady's tube..."

Here the author is describing someone lighting a pipe, but he's become so ornate in his verbiage that it's hard to even tell what's happening!

Purple prose can often be found in published romance novels, especially in their tendancy to refer to things without actually describing them. Works of first-time authors are also sometimes notorious for this as well.

Hope that helps! Remember - pretty is good, but avoid purple at all costs!

Answer 3

It's very flowery language. Adjectives and adverbs run amok to the point of silliness. It's associated most with romance novels (think "His bulging bicep snaked around her narrow waist and felt the soft, purple velvet that hid her creamy skin from his view.") But purple prose can be found almost anywhere poorly-written English can be found.

Answer 4

A term of literary criticism, purple prose is used to describe passages, or sometimes entire literary works, written in prose so overly extravagant, ornate or flowery as to break the flow and draw attention to itself. Purple prose is sensuously evocative beyond the requirements of its context. It also refers to writing that employs certain rhetorical effects such as exaggerated sentiment or pathos in an attempt to manipulate a reader's response.

Answer 5

A term of literary criticism, purple prose is used to describe passages, or sometimes entire literary works, written in prose so overly extravagant, ornate or flowery as to break the flow and draw attention to itself. Purple prose is sensuously evocative beyond the requirements of its context. It also refers to writing that employs certain rhetorical effects such as exaggerated sentiment or pathos in an attempt to manipulate a reader's response.

for further info go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose

Answer 6

You can't "plagiarize" Wikipedia. It's free to copy and distribute freely; that's the point of its existence.

Answer 7

it means vulgar language.