Prose = Free Verse, Free Verse = Prose
"What distinguishes free verse from prose? One of its main features is the deliberate division of the lines, which may consist of very long units or of single words, and which may be divided in mid-sentence or even in mid-word." (Hamilton 239)
Prose can be free verse and free verse can be prose, according to Hamilton. Splitting the lines of a prose work turns it into a free verse. However, combining a free verse turns it into prose. Right? Who knows. This explanation of the difference between prose and free verse is not very clear.
Prose can be free verse and free verse can be prose, according to Hamilton. Splitting the lines of a prose work turns it into a free verse. However, combining a free verse turns it into prose. Right? Who knows. This explanation of the difference between prose and free verse is not very clear.
Well, I don’t that is all there is to it, but Hamilton’s explanation is kind of confusing on this. But I think the punctuation of and decision of where to stop a line in free verse poetry is one of the hardest parts, at least for me. I can never decide where to stop the line, where to put a period, etc. because it is so crucial in free verse, it all the harder. And I think that this deliberate choice is what marks the difference. When one writes prose, one does not need to consider these things, and it is the deliberate choice of the author to consider these things which differentiates prose from free verse. It’s all about doing things intentionally for a specific reason.