Have you ever picked up a book only to find the writer waxing poetic about every detail? I certainly have.
Luckily for us readers and reviewers, there’s a name for that: Purple Prose. If you’ve ever read an ostentatious or flowery book and didn’t like it but didn’t know how to put that feeling into words, this article might be for you.
Purple prose can kill an excellent book for many readers. Let’s talk about why.
What is purple prose?
Purple prose is a literary term to describe overly ornate, flowery, or dramatic writing. The key word is “overly.”
We can characterize this writing by its excessive use of adjectives, adverbs, and figurative language. The term “purple” is used because the color itself has often been used as a symbol of luxury and grandeur.
Readers can find purple prose in poetry, fiction, and even non-fiction. Critics often call it pretentious and lacking in substance.
Is that a bad thing?
While some writers may use purple prose to create an atmosphere of grandeur or evoke a particular emotion, many see it as a sign of poor writing.
When writers overly embellish their prose, the writing becomes distracting, which detracts from the actual content. It often may not match the scene, character, or story. It’s just excessive description for the sake of it, which can come across as amateurish, or self-indulgent on the part of the writer.
Excessive use of figurative language can also make the writing confusing, as the writer may be more concerned with sounding impressive than with communicating their ideas effectively.
But like anything else, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some may find this kind of writing beautiful or perfectly descriptive, and that’s okay too.
Is there ever a good time to use purple prose?
The context of a story or character may necessitate the use of ornate writing. For example, if we’re in the headspace of a character who thinks in a strangely flowery or poetic way, it may be fitting for the prose to match.
As a reader, I can tell when a writer uses purple prose for effect rather than navel-gazing, usually because the prose changes when the story switches perspectives. Or as a character grows or changes, the writing style evolves with them.
While purple prose can be effective in some contexts, it is generally seen as a negative.
It is essential to strike a balance between using vivid descriptions to create atmosphere and keeping the writing concise and to the point.
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One response to “Purple Prose: Atmosphere over Clarity”
So much to learn about writing! Purple Prose is sure interesting & understandable it can be over used.