Literary Prose:
* Purpose: Primarily to entertain, evoke emotions, explore themes, and engage the reader intellectually. It aims to create an artistic experience through language.
* Style: Characterized by:
* Figurative language: metaphors, similes, personification, etc.
* Imagery: vivid descriptions that appeal to the senses.
* Symbolism: using objects or events to represent abstract concepts.
* Complex sentence structure: often uses varied sentence lengths and structures to create rhythm and emphasis.
* Focus on theme and character development: Characters and their actions are often used to explore deeper meanings and themes.
* Subjectivity: Often reflects the author's personal perspective and voice.
Examples: Novels, short stories, essays, poems (when written in prose form), and some forms of journalism (e.g., literary journalism).
Nonliterary Prose:
* Purpose: Primarily to inform, explain, persuade, or provide instructions. It focuses on conveying information clearly and concisely.
* Style: Characterized by:
* Clarity and conciseness: Uses straightforward language and simple sentence structures.
* Objectivity: Primarily presents facts and avoids personal opinions.
* Focus on information: Emphasizes conveying information accurately and efficiently.
* Limited use of figurative language: May use some descriptive language but avoids elaborate metaphors or symbolism.
Examples: News articles, reports, textbooks, instruction manuals, technical documents, emails, memos, and letters.
Key differences:
* Purpose: Literary prose aims to entertain and explore, while nonliterary prose aims to inform and instruct.
* Style: Literary prose uses elaborate language and stylistic techniques for artistic effect, while nonliterary prose prioritizes clarity and conciseness.
* Focus: Literary prose focuses on theme and character development, while nonliterary prose focuses on information and factual accuracy.
It's important to note that these are general distinctions. There can be some overlap between the two. For example, a news article might use some figurative language to make a point, and a novel might contain factual information. However, the primary purpose and stylistic choices will determine whether a piece of prose falls into the literary or nonliterary category.