Rhine River-(Figure book)

Author: (French) Victor Hugo
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Among the four major categories of literary works, prose differs from poetry and fiction. If poetry belongs to the history of the spirit, and fiction belongs to the history of society, then the drama, which concentrates numerous artistic functions and is a broad cultural and artistic history beyond the expression of literary symbols, belongs to the general cultural and artistic history of the multifunctional spatial art. Prose, however, is the most popular and most widely involved in life, becoming an integral part of life—a unique literary phenomenon. In one of Molière's comedies, there is a dialogue where one character asks another: "What is prose?" The other replies: "What you are saying now is prose." Can we understand it this way: Prose is actually very ordinary; we live in prose every day, so we are all familiar with it. Because of this, as a literary term, prose expresses a relatively loose concept. Of course, it must possess indispensable literary qualities, but it is not very standardized; rather, it is more free. The English word "Essay" is generally translated as "," "musing," "sketch," or "short piece," all emphasizing the freedom of writing. It is a genre that is free enough to take on multiple forms, covering letters, diaries, travelogues, memoirs, notes, prefaces, and even satirical essays where laughter and anger become articles, as well as the kind of political writing that "often carries emotion in the pen." With the development of literature, in the early 19th century, a marginal genre between poetry and prose—prose poetry—also emerged. Beyond writers, its authors are widespread, including artists, musicians, actors, as well as philosophers, scientists, historians, and even politicians, religious figures, travelers, and so on. Naturally expressed prose becomes the most intimate genre. When writing, one hardly needs to consider the exaggeration of words or phrases, nor does one need to guard against the concealment of the true nature of the heart by literary style. Authenticity becomes the fundamental characteristic of prose. Prose writing perfectly preserves and highlights the momentary feelings of being moved and the original state of deep, reflective twists and turns, making it the best choice for dialogue with others while also engaging in dialogue with oneself—the best way to understand and reconstruct oneself. It "carries the way," meaning it is didactic, but not preachy; it "expresses the will," meaning it is lyrical, but it does not allow for affectation. Its optimal state is to integrate "carrying the way" and "expressing the will" into one. Simple writing excludes the smallest artificiality. The essence of prose is authenticity. The highest purpose of prose art is simply to emphasize authenticity. Prose seeks beauty, and beauty is a companion to authenticity.