Comments on: Purple Prose—a Bum Rap

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 18:37:43 +0000

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By: Sandy C(New Bern)

Sandy C(New Bern) — Sat, 23 Apr 2005 22:54:49 +0000

Very well done Ms. Brandewyne.

I hate the term “purple prose”. I simply despise it. I think whoever began using it in terms of romance fiction started the beginning of the end of originality and creative writing.

I read one of the comments above:

“Isn’t purple prose what’s wrong with all those early romances we all talk about?”

I would give anything to have another one of those early romances right now, instead I read book after book of mindless pap geared toward speedreaders who want to start and finish a book in the can.

When reading a romance today, I have no idea what the characters look like other than they are “pretty” or “rugged”. I have no idea what the scenes look or feel like, the rooms they were in, the landscape or terrain. All I know is I have man A and women B interacting to the tune of plot C. (insert one of 20 storylines).

What makes a book “original” is the way in which the writer describes their view of the story. I love to read Pat Conroy. He can make a simple action or scene visual to me, whereas most writers today have no clue. I just finished a book that had a setting at a manor on an island. I have no clue what the manor looked like, what the island was like. I have no point of reference for REMEMBERING THIS STORY AGAINST 30 OTHER STORIES.

When someone says a book contains a lot of purple prose, I buy it. Because it usually means that the writer knows how to embelish and use words to create atmosphere.

I remember every scene written in Woodiwess’s “The Wolf and the Dove”. I will remember them til the day I die.

The historical I read yesterday is already forgotten.

Give me purple prose…give me more of it and often.

Sandy C(New Bern)

By: Nicolette Rivers

Nicolette Rivers — Sat, 23 Apr 2005 08:03:05 +0000

I think it “takes all kinds.” I cannot say I prefer one style over another – it’s all based on mood and the skill of a writer.

Some very talented writers would only come across as ham-fisted if they endeavored to be more lyrical. There are other author who’d lose what makes them special if they tried a more sparce style.

I think what we’re getting into her is an author’s “voice.” It’s an individual thing and quite organic. If a writer drifts too far from the natural flow of their words, they lose that voice.

By: Larissa

Larissa — Thu, 21 Apr 2005 11:50:32 +0000

Like Jorie, I can’t remember having read anything decent that contained “purple prose” in forever. Anything I’ve read that did contain the dreaded prose was awful, anyway. If the book is well written, the lush, lyrical description doesn’t come across as negatively “purple,” IMO.

I think we’ve just grown so used to instant gratification, more sparcely written, fast-paced books, that anything that’s a little more “elaborate and ornate,” comes across as purple.

But that’s just me.

By: Alison Kent

Alison Kent — Thu, 21 Apr 2005 02:15:31 +0000

Jorie – Underwriting is a HUGE peeve of mine. Not only description but everything is slighted – emotion, characterization, all of it. I know I’ve been guilty of this, a lot of times toward the end of a book, ugh, and bow my head and ask forgiveness.

By: Jorie

Jorie — Thu, 21 Apr 2005 00:54:37 +0000

I’m trying to remember the last romance I read or started to read that had purple prose. They probably exist, but I’m much more likely to set aside a romance because the writing has no depth: depth of character, emotion or description. And I have to agree that we talk a lot more about overwriting than underwriting.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 21 Apr 2005 00:00:15 +0000

I love lyrical, evocative paragraphs that make me a part of the story world. If it’s poetic and well done, I’ll wallow in the description.

But if you go on and on about the hallway clock, I close the book.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 23:32:07 +0000

Helen…I’m not advocating any particular style of writing, just pointing out one that works for me as a reader. If you object to the term “purple prose” because it has acquired negative connotations, then call it “lyrical prose” instead, as Candy suggested. Like Alison, I can think of several romances that didn’t work for me, for those reasons she listed and others. Would more description have helped? Considering that in at least a couple of romances I’ve read, I didn’t even know what the heroine looked like, then, yes. But description alone is not all I’m referring to, which is one of the reasons why I chose the passage from Melville’s work that I did.

By: Margaret Daley

Margaret Daley — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 23:17:28 +0000

HelenKay, I think you put it very well. I want some description but I don’t want to get bogged down in it. I want to feel what the characters are feeling and I want action.

By: Gina

Gina — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 22:55:22 +0000

Personally I like vivid descriptions and writing myself. I like to feel like like I’m there, that the scene and story is not just words on a page, but its own living and breathing entity. Yes, it can be overdone in some cases, but if it is done right then I love it.