Thursday, March 18, 2010

Booking Through Thursday - Plain or Pretty?

btt button

Which do you prefer? Lurid, fruity prose, awash in imagery and sensuous textures and colors? Or straight-forward, clean, simple prose?

(You thought I was going to ask something else, didn’t you? Admit it!)

I prefer simple, clear language to flowery and overblown prose. I think good writing can transmit more information more effectively without all the pyrotechnics.

More Booking Through Thursday here.

12 comments:

Jennifer said...

I can see your point. I lean more toward longer prose, however, I feel some novels require one over the other. My BTT: http://www.rundpinne.com/2010/03/booking-through-thursday-prose.html

caite said...

I think both can have their place. It depends on the subject, the setting of the book...and mostly, the skill of the author.

Tasha said...

I prefer clean and simple.

Lynda said...

I like both depending on the novel - see my answer here:
http://lyndasbookblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/booking-through-thursday-sensual.html

Bibliobabe said...

I like both...I think it just depends on the author.

Here's mine:
http://www.bibliobabe.com/?p=921

pussreboots said...

I too prefer simplicity in prose. My post is here.

Anonymous said...

I lean towards the more vividly presented imagery, and the clear and concise can also include those images.

It depends...especially if it is a novel...although I am not normally a fan of overly flowery prose, I like vivid imagery.

Hannah Stoneham said...

I think that I agree with a few of the comments here that both have their place - it really depends on the type of book. For example I find Evelyn Waugh's style in Bridehead Revisited exactly fits the book and that is why it works so well. Equally, other books demand more simplicity - I have recently read quite a few short stories and I think to be really successful at these the author needs to master more pared down language.

Interesting question, thanks for posing it -

Hannah

bermudaonion said...

I'm with you - my mind wanders when the prose gets too flowery.

Anonymous said...

I think I agree with you here. Sometimes, I love the prose which reads like a poem, but give me the likes of Hemingway any day!

Dave said...

I really enjoy a writer like John McPhee, who can brings complicated topics to life through simple prose. But when I find a writer who can really make the language sing, I'm awestruck.

Zibilee said...

I usually tend to prefer plain prose, but if it's done exceptionally well, I do get great enjoyment out of pretty as well. Though I do think that most authors who use pretty prose sometimes have a hard time making it feel absorbing and informative.