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| - Purple prose is writing that is elaborate, flowery, and showy, possibly to the point of being detrimental to the rest of the writing. However, purple prose can be used to heighten the writing, when used by an author who knows what they are doing. When purple prose becomes too much, then it becomes urple prose.
- The term Purple Prose was created by the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus, who compared it to sewing patches of purple cloth onto clothing, as purple dye was highly expensive; therefore, having purple-dyed clothing was a convenient, if not overly tacky, sign of great wealth. To quote him, he states in the timeless Ars Poetica: "If you can realistically render a cypress tree, would you include one when commissioned to paint a sailor in the midst of a shipwreck?" Truly a poetic smart arse.
- There are times within the life of any teller of tales in which they are faced with a most dire situation: the writing, while not lacking in such delightful virtues as a sturdy coherent plot or rich characterization, is supremely dry and uninteresting to read. Examples of Purple Prose include:
- Purple prose is writing that is elaborate, flowery, and showy, possibly to the point of being detrimental to the rest of the writing. However, purple prose can be used to heighten the writing, when used by an author who knows what they are doing. On occasion, such racks of ornament can be despicable, with the scintillating adjectives bewildering the reader and obscuring the subject.
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| abstract
| - Purple prose is writing that is elaborate, flowery, and showy, possibly to the point of being detrimental to the rest of the writing. However, purple prose can be used to heighten the writing, when used by an author who knows what they are doing. When purple prose becomes too much, then it becomes urple prose.
- The term Purple Prose was created by the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus, who compared it to sewing patches of purple cloth onto clothing, as purple dye was highly expensive; therefore, having purple-dyed clothing was a convenient, if not overly tacky, sign of great wealth. To quote him, he states in the timeless Ars Poetica: "If you can realistically render a cypress tree, would you include one when commissioned to paint a sailor in the midst of a shipwreck?" Truly a poetic smart arse.
- There are times within the life of any teller of tales in which they are faced with a most dire situation: the writing, while not lacking in such delightful virtues as a sturdy coherent plot or rich characterization, is supremely dry and uninteresting to read. In response, the writer chooses to indulge in the writing technique known to gentlefolk as Purple Prose, wherein the writing becomes much more elaborate and fancy, eschewing quotidian sentences for elaborate concatenation of phrases and clauses. On occasion, such racks of ornament can be despicable, with the scintillating adjectives bewildering the reader and obscuring the subject. The writing style is named after a quote by Roman poet Horace, who compared writing such prose to sewing purple patches to clothing. This practice was a common means to show pretentiousness in wealth, since purple dye was an expensive rarity. "Purple Patches" is used when the writer only occasionally breaks into purple, like scintillating arrays of diamonds appearing incongruously in mire, which can make much of the text more readable but less consistent, so the reader is jolted from one style to the other. (Consistent purple prose at least lets the reader get into the swing of things.) Several excellent examples, things of beauty and confusion, can be found on the quotes page. This trope does not cover works in a florid but not intrusive style -- the sacrifice of Utility on the altar of Eloquence is an essential feature of Purple Prose. It should also be noted that Purple Prose usually pairs flamboyant vocabulary with fairly plain grammar (that can get outright primitive in extreme cases) what differentiates it from true Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness. Bear in mind that Tropes Are Tools. Some of the examples below are intentional: the Purple Prose is a stylistic choice, a comedic turn or in aid of characterisation. Compare contrastingly with the phenomenon given the appellation of Beige Prose. Seek furthermore the silicon entries known as: Walls of Text, Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness, and Meaningless Meaningful Words. Mills and Boon Prose is a Sub-Trope; furthermore, that affliction known as Said Bookism is a customary peculiarity of this mode of communication. Some communications open on the traditional Dark And Stormy Night. See also Name That Unfolds Like Lotus Blossom, for when this is applied to names. Examples of Purple Prose include:
- Purple prose is writing that is elaborate, flowery, and showy, possibly to the point of being detrimental to the rest of the writing. However, purple prose can be used to heighten the writing, when used by an author who knows what they are doing. On occasion, such racks of ornament can be despicable, with the scintillating adjectives bewildering the reader and obscuring the subject. The writing style is named after a quote by Roman poet Horace, who compared writing such prose to sewing purple patches to clothing. This practice was a common means to show pretentiousness in wealth, since purple dye was an expensive rarity. "Purple Patches" is used when the writer only occasionally breaks into purple, like scintillating arrays of diamonds appearing incongruously in mire, which can make much of the text more readable but less consistent, so the reader is jolted from one style to the other. (Consistent purple prose at least lets the reader get into the swing of things.)
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