Let's Talk About Purple Prose

[WriterDoug]

I have been doing some reading on this for the past three hours, probably becuase it is something I fear as much as I do find fascination in. Sure, purple prose is generally a "bad" thing, yet it can be so difficult to avoid (especially when writing in any of the most common genres that the forum users here tend to specialize in.)

I read a review somewhere that bashed the Eragon novels to a bloody pulp for their excessive purple prose, but I do not have any real elaborate point I wish to make right now. However, if you want, (and i think it might be great fun,) some of you guys and gals should post some brief passages or excerpts of really awful purple prose that you have read of in a published work of fiction!

I also have a more personal approach to this topic: how is it you avoid purple prose in your own work? Do you recognize it immediately? Do you loathe it yet find yourself unable to fix it? Do you somehow not write purple prose at all?

I realize drawing the line between a beautiful passage and one that is well over-the-top is not always the easiest thing to do, and much of it may even be subjective, which is why I think this thread could become very interesting.

cheers,
WD

 

[Dragonlady]

I didn't know what it was until I just looked it up, but i try to keep description tied to action- describing what the characters see, smell etc just enough to get a bit of atmosphere without there being any descriptive passages as such, which can be tricky!

I don't have any passages as i've taken it back to the library but there was a victorian mystery i had to put down because the description was so excessive and unnecessarily detailed

 

[WriterDoug]

Oops, my apologies. In case anyone is not familar with the term, here is a nice summation from our dear friend Wikipedia:

A term of literary criticism, purple prose is used to describe passages, or sometimes entire literary works, written in prose so overly extravagant, ornate or flowery as to break the flow and draw attention to itself. Purple prose is sensuously evocative beyond the requirements of its context. It also refers to writing that employs certain rhetorical effects such as exaggerated sentiment or pathos in an attempt to manipulate a reader's response.

 

[Talysia]

I tend to write with a lot of narrative, using description here and there, but probably not what you'd call purple prose. When I go through my writing the second time, I add more descriptions, and I do find it difficult to draw the line between using it wisely and overdoing it sometimes. Mind you, when I look at my writing when it doesn't have too much decription, I find that it looks a bit basic and simple. Finding the right balance is quite hard, in my opinion.

 

[Erin99]

I find that on a first draft I write too much purple prose. During the following re-writes I try to catch those little pests; they always sneak in, don't they?

Purple prose = flowery writing (that's what I prefer to call it).

how is it you avoid purple prose in your own work? Do you recognize it immediately? Do you loathe it yet find yourself unable to fix it? Do you somehow not write purple prose at all?

Put the manuscript away for a long time. Pick it back up. Re-read. Wince as it all suddenly becomes clear...

 

[scalem X]

Hah, my lack of english language skills rules out any excess of purple prose immediately. I would have mayor difficulties coming up with a lot of purple prose, while writing something that's longer than one page.

 

[artemis]

Ugh, purple prose. Sometimes I'll notice it when I'm writing along, but usually I see it when I come back to something a few days later. I recall having seen it once in a while in published works, but I can't give any examples as those books were obviously returned to the library.

Perhaps you've all seen this already, but if not, I thought C.J. Cherryh gave a pretty good description here of when to use 'florid prose,' as she calls it, and when not to:

Writerisms and other Sins: A Writer's Shortcut to Stronger Writing by C.J. Cherryh

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I actually prefer prose that's a pale shade of lavender, as opposed to prose that's excessively plain. Even so there are some passages in my first books that wander a little closer to the purple end of the spectrum than I would want to venture now.

For instance:

Like a predatory beast stalking her prey, darkness crawled in on her vast, starry underbelly, taking the last tardy light of day by surprise and tearing it into a thousand blood tatters.

 

[Sapheron]

That's indeed quite purple.

Anyway, mine often approach the sort of purple associated with royalty. You know, that sort of purple that's really dark and rich and purplish. Even when I post first drafts on here I find myself going back and deleting words all over the place, simply because there's too many adjectives. Purple prose is one of my greatest problems as a writer.

 

[Steve Jordan]

Purple just isn't my style. Being an avid A.C.Clarke fan, I sometimes find myself writing overly-colorful descriptions of action in a superior tone, much like (as I've sometimes referred to some of Clarke's work) the Brigadier General in the drawing room describing his exploits in the Boer War. Not quite purple... maybe royal blue . But I usually catch myself doing it, and adjust it to be more palatable.

 

[dustinzgirl]

I actually prefer prose that's a pale shade of lavender, as opposed to prose that's excessively plain. Even so there are some passages in my first books that wander a little closer to the purple end of the spectrum than I would want to venture now.

For instance:

Like a predatory beast stalking her prey, darkness crawled in on her vast, starry underbelly, taking the last tardy light of day by surprise and tearing it into a thousand blood tatters.

Teresa, that is a freaking awesomely sexy sentence.

 

[Culhwch]

I think in general I lack the talent and imagination to be too purple. My own impression of my prose is that it's quite spare, unless I'm trying too hard...

 

[Lacedaemonian]

I fully immerse myself into the world of Purple; people often mistake me for being a pneumonic riddled corpse. Anything done bad is quite simply bad. I enjoy lavish prose but only when it flows and does not jar the narrative.

 

[j d worthington]

I'll admit that I dislike the term "purple prose", as it has been used to describe everything from Poe to Bulwer to Merritt to (believe it or not) Tolkien. It has been used for writers both good and bad, and is most often used by those who prefer a prose as lean as Hemingway's or Simenon's -- and who tend to think anything with more color than that is somehow "wrong". Such an approach would rob us not only of those listed above, but of Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, William Styron, and Thomas Ligotti, to mention only a few.

Yes, any kind of prose can be overdone, whether it's lean and sparse or richly textured and full-bodied. Prose should suit the type of tale, and the subject it's discussing. However, excessive use of adjectives can be a vice to watch out for, as can convoluted syntax or preciosity (though, again, if done well, it has undeniable strengths: Henry James, for example). The point, I'd say, is to not worry about it when writing, but during editing, to flense any adjectives that seem superfluous -- that bloat without adding any flavor or genuine worth to the sentence, and to use archaisms and complex syntax somewhat sparingly ... at least until one knows how to use them really well, by studying such prose until one can truly replicate such a manner so that it seems genuine, rather than a modern mock-up of such. (For a bad example, try William Hope Hodgson's The Night Land; a wonderful book seriously marred by its faux-archaistic diction.)

 

[davidlevack]

Alan Moore does his purple prose artfully as is evident if you read any of his Warpsmith tales.

Also the Star Wars he worked on, and his collected works of one shots for DC comics.

 

[Anthony G Williams]

I'll admit that I dislike the term "purple prose", as it has been used to describe everything from Poe to Bulwer to Merritt to (believe it or not) Tolkien. It has been used for writers both good and bad, and is most often used by those who prefer a prose as lean as Hemingway's or Simenon's -- and who tend to think anything with more color than that is somehow "wrong". Such an approach would rob us not only of those listed above, but of Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, William Styron, and Thomas Ligotti, to mention only a few.

Yes, any kind of prose can be overdone, whether it's lean and sparse or richly textured and full-bodied. Prose should suit the type of tale, and the subject it's discussing. However, excessive use of adjectives can be a vice to watch out for, as can convoluted syntax or preciosity (though, again, if done well, it has undeniable strengths: Henry James, for example). The point, I'd say, is to not worry about it when writing, but during editing, to flense any adjectives that seem superfluous -- that bloat without adding any flavor or genuine worth to the sentence, and to use archaisms and complex syntax somewhat sparingly ... at least until one knows how to use them really well, by studying such prose until one can truly replicate such a manner so that it seems genuine, rather than a modern mock-up of such.

I agree.

My own writing tends to be pared-down, and I sometimes have to remind myself to add more description to provide some context for the action and dialogue, so I'm not really at risk of excessive purpling (I rather like that as a verb ).

As with most things in life, it's a question of moderation and balance. Too much purpling, as when the writer strains to find original verbs or adjectives to use, is a Bad Thing: e.g., in describing dialogue, to use 'he snarled', 'she snapped', 'he growled' instead of 'she said' can be effective - at very infrequent intervals - but not more often, or it becomes noticeable and rather silly. That's the key to good writing, IMO - it should be interesting, but not obtrusive. The reader should be following the story, not noticing the writing style (of course, that could be a bit difficult with Joyce's Ulysses, but I've never finished that...).

 

[Birol]

I'll admit that I dislike the term "purple prose", as it has been used to describe everything from Poe to Bulwer to Merritt to (believe it or not) Tolkien.

Well, yes, it has been used to describe Bulwer, assuming you mean Bulwer-Lytton. He's probably the most famous purple-prosist out there, having given us "It was a dark and stormy night...." There's even a contest out there for him.

To a certain degree, being purple is not bad. Just like with anything in writing, it can be overdone. You have to know when to use it and when to step back. The problem with so-called purple writing, at least in my experience, is that once you use it, it's hard to stop.

 

[j d worthington]

Oh, I did indeed mean Edward Bulwer, Lord Lytton. However, there isn't a thing wrong with that particular phrase, though it's been parodied for ages now; and he also coined "the pen is mightier than the sword", among others. He was a very influential writer in his day, praised highly by Mary Shelley and Poe, as well as Dickens. His writing is quite florid by modern tastes, and I find his novels often rather topheavy, but some of his shorter work is rather good.

My point being: "purple" prose is something the definition of which has varied mightily over the years. As mentioned in another thread, like swearing, or any other use of words, it needs to be used with care, where it will have the most impact, and not be so common it becomes self-parodic. Used judiciously (or by someone who truly knows how to do it well), it can be quite effective...

 

[Pyan]

In small amounts, nothing wrong with it, but overuse leads to skipping of entire paragraphs, and in extreme cases, contact of the book with the wall at high velocity.

 

[HardScienceFan]

[FONT=trebuchet ms, Arial, Helvetica]Hermione gazed pensively across the moor, her bosom hanging low, like the menacing storm clouds above, while her tears mingled moistly with the miasmic mountain mist. The sound of distant thunder brought to her mind memories of the past, of a time when the world was young and she was blissfully carefree. She shrugged her shabbily shawled shoulders, and allowed a weary smile to loosen her lips as Sir Reginald apprehensively approached.[/FONT]