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Prose Poetry

Open and Experimental Verse

Poetry written in prose form rather than in verse lines, that otherwise relies on poetic devices such as image, rhythm, compression and figurative language to make its meaning. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Place of Origin
Early 19th-century France and Germany, as a reaction against the traditional verse line. 1
Structure
Written as continuous prose with no line breaks, but keeps poetic devices such as fragmentation, compression, repetition, rhyme, metaphor and other figures of speech. 1
Notable Example
Charles Baudelaire's Paris Spleen and Illuminations, following the earlier example of French pioneers such as Aloysius Bertrand. 1
Connections

Associated With

Gitanjali, Works

Form Of Genre

Lyric Poetry, Genres

A prose-format realization of the lyric tradition's devices, without verse lineation.

Source Prose Poetry (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Prose Poetry (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Opening paragraph
    Prose poetry is poetry written in prose form instead of verse form while otherwise deferring to poetic devices to make meaning.
  • History section
    In the West, prose poetry originated in early-19th-century France and Germany as a reaction against the traditional verse line. Baudelaire followed their example in works like Paris Spleen and Illuminations.
  • Characteristics section
    Prose poetry is written as prose, without the line breaks associated with poetry. However, it makes use of poetic devices such as fragmentation, compression, repetition, rhyme, metaphor, and figures of speech.
  • Form Of Genre: Lyric Poetry
    Prose poetry is poetry written in prose form instead of verse form while otherwise deferring to poetic devices to make meaning.
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