MAJOR FORMS OF PROSE

The following are the major form of prose:

 Long Prose-works

Examples of The Great prose works and their Authors-

ROGER ASCHAM – THE SCHOOL MASTER

SIR THOMAS BROWNE- VULGAR ERRORS

DAVID HUME- HISTORY OF ENGLAND

JOHN ARBUTHNOT- HISTORY OF JOHN BULL

·         The Essay = Essay  is a short composition in prose . Saints bury calls it “”a work of prose art.”” Dr. Johnson defines it “”as a loose sally of the mind, an irregular, indigested piece, not a regular and orderly performance.”” The Essays are of three types namely- Personal Essays Aphoristic Essay and Periodical Essays.

Examples of Essays and their Authors-

JOHN MILTON – TRACTS

LEIGH HUNT- MEN,WOMEN AND BOOKS

LESLIE STEPHEN- HOURS IN A LIBRARY

C.P. SNOW- TWO CULTURES

·         The Periodical journals

·         The Biography = A  Biography is the life-history of a person from his birth to death, judiciously highlighting his failings and achievements, artistically written in prose by one of his admirers,  It is now a distinct literary genre.

Examples of Important Biographies and their authors-

JOHN AUBREY – BRIEF LIVES

E.M.FORSTER- LIFE OF DICKENS

WINSTON CHURCHILL- LIFE OF MARLBOROUGH

WILLIAM MASON- LIFE OF GRAY

·         The Autobiography = An autobiography is the life –history of an individual written by himself. A good autobiography should be a judicious and dispassionate self-assessment, which is indeed a difficult task.

Examples of Autobiographies-

SAMUELS PEPYS-DIARY

OSBERT SIT WELL- LEFT HAND, RIGHT HAND

ROUSSEAU- CONFESSIONS

WILLIAM WORDS WORTH- PRELUDE (A  POETICAL AUTO BIOGRAPHY)

·         The Memoirs = In the Memoir the writer does not write out  his own life, but he recollects his personal contacts with various people he meets in his personal or professional life.