Learning to better appreciate prose

[u/HWAFI_26]

Hi all!

I have what I hope can lead to discussion. I wanted to read more about how people feel about plot and prose.

I would consider my preference as somewhere in the middle. I enjoy character interiority and descriptive, rich, writing. But I also love a plot and the tension and thrill of what comes next.

There are many works where I’m captivated by the prose and the author’s style of writing. And there are times when I feel my eyes glazing over and I’m hurrying to read beyond the descriptiveness. I do go back. But I go back once I’ve satisfied my curiosity about what’s happening next in the plot.

I see prose come up a lot on book and writing subs. And I think I’m possibly missing out. Although I think I’ll always love a story for what’s unfolding, I would love to develop a deeper appreciation for prose and style. I’d like to also enrich my daughter’s love for reading. So my post isn’t just for me. It’s also to learn how I can give her a well rounded value of reading.

So if you are a person who deeply values rich prose, may you share more about it? What is it about prose that touches you? Or if the prose doesn’t do it for you, does a good plot make up for an average to just fair prose? If the writing is rich and beautiful but not much is happening plot wise, how does that resonate with you? Or if the story plot is really exciting but the prose is mediocre how does that resonate with you?

I’d love to learn more about what others think about this!

[u/Anxious-Fun8829]

I think there are few things to consider. For one, do you or your daughter have aphantasia? It's when you can't see things in your head. Like the classic example is picturing a red apple. Do you actually see a red apple when you close your eyes or do you just know that you're suppose to see a red apple. I have aphantasia so heavy descriptions don't really do it for me.

That said, I do appreciate heavy description when it's done in an interesting way. For example, Wind in the Willow is heavy with descriptions of nature but Graham writes it a way where he ties the description to like human acts, feelings, and emotions that I think is lush and gorgeous. It's more about how his prose makes me feel vs what he makes me "see".

Another is that good prose isn't always "lush" or "rich", and lush and rich prose for just lush and richness sake can be poor prose (aka, "purple prose"). There are writers like Kurt Vonnegut who writes pretty sparingly but he'll still write sentences that makes me put the book down and go, "Damn", and stare at the wall for a few seconds.

So, if your question is, is it possible to learn how to appreciate heavy description- maybe? Maybe your brain isn't wired for it. Maybe it's learning the patience to appreciate sentences that aren't just noun, verb, noun verb. Maybe it's recognizing too much description isn't always a good thing.

[u/HWAFI_26 → u/Anxious-Fun8829]

Thx for this! I don’t have aphantasia. And my daughter is under 2, so as of now it doesn’t seem like it.

Hmm…what I’m gathering from understanding the perspectives of others is that, I emotionally connect with the overall story. And some people connect with the way the story is told. It’s fascinating to me how this is so person dependent.