As to the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out.” The great American writer Mark Twain said these wise words, and they’re as true today as when he said them. The best writers know it’s an art to tell a story efficiently, avoiding overly flowery language without sacrificing emotion, meaning, or sophistication. This is especially true in film, where writers must work within a page limit. This is why it’s important to understand what purple writing is, and how to avoid it.
Purple prose meaning
First, let’s define purple prose
How do we define purple prose? You may have already heard of the term “flowery language,” but have you heard of purple prose? Read on to learn the meaning of purple prose, purple prose’s definition, and see examples of purple literature.
PURPLE PROSE DEFINITION
What is purple prose?
Purple prose or purple writing is used to refer to writing that is overly flowery - so much so that it loses all meaning! Purple prose is the kind of writing where it’s just too much - too many long words and too many of them, too many adjectives and adverbs. In fact, purple prose is so over-the-top that whatever the author meant to say is totally lost. See below for some examples of purple literature.
Purple Prose Examples:
- “Jacob strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had its roots sticking out like the attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider. He perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while I sat beneath him on the body of the tree. He stared down at the rocks, a smile hovering around the edges of his broad lips. I could see he was going to try to make this good. I focused on keeping the vital interest I felt out of my eyes.” This example of purple prose comes from Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” books, which received criticism due to her overly flowery prose.
- “The river—with the sunlight flashing from its dancing wavelets, gilding gold the grey-green beech-trunks, glinting through the dark, cool wood paths, chasing shadows o'er the shallows, flinging diamonds from the mill-wheels, throwing kisses to the lilies, wantoning with the weirs' white waters, silvering moss-grown walls and bridges, brightening every tiny townlet, making sweet each lane and meadow, lying tangled in the rushes, peeping, laughing, from each inlet, gleaming gay on many a far sail, making soft the air with glory—is a golden fairy stream.” This passage from Victorian writer Jerome K. Jerome’s book “Three Men in a Boat” is a great example of purple prose.
- On the opposite end, here’s an example of concise prose, from the master of brevity himself, Ernest Hemingway, who opens “Hills Like White Elephants” with this sentence: “The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white.”
Purple Prose examples
How to avoid purple prose
You may be wondering, hey, do I always have to avoid flowery language? No! Since much writing is subjective, it can be argued that purple prose adds texture or poetry to a story, and it’s ultimately up to you as a writer to determine how you want your page to look. But in general, many writing teachers recommend avoiding purple prose, and instead aiming for clear, concise writing. Good writers avoid too many adjectives, adverbs, overly long sentences, or aimlessly sticking large words in their texts. By focusing on saying what you mean in the most judicious way, you can have the greatest effect on your reader.
Learn more about the meaning of purple prose
Did You Know?
Why is it called purple prose? Purple prose got its name from the Roman poet Horace, who came up with the term in his poem “Ars Poetica,” where he referenced “purple” patches of writing that were too showy. Purple is likely the color used to describe the prose being ornate because it has historical ties to royalty, who are known for their opulence and lavish displays.
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Learn more about prose
Want to learn more about writing prose? Check out StudioBinder’s Blog to learn more about tips and tricks for writing the best prose, whether it’s poetry, a novel, or even dialogue for a screenplay.
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