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.
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
ReplyDeleteI think both can have their place. It depends on the subject, the setting of the book...and mostly, the skill of the author.
ReplyDeleteI prefer clean and simple.
ReplyDeleteI like both depending on the novel - see my answer here:
ReplyDeletehttp://lyndasbookblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/booking-through-thursday-sensual.html
I like both...I think it just depends on the author.
ReplyDeleteHere's mine:
http://www.bibliobabe.com/?p=921
I too prefer simplicity in prose. My post is here.
ReplyDeleteI lean towards the more vividly presented imagery, and the clear and concise can also include those images.
ReplyDeleteIt depends...especially if it is a novel...although I am not normally a fan of overly flowery prose, I like vivid imagery.
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.
ReplyDeleteInteresting question, thanks for posing it -
Hannah
I'm with you - my mind wanders when the prose gets too flowery.
ReplyDeleteI 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!
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDelete