Performing a prose analysis means examining how an author uses language and style in non-poetic writing (like novels, short stories, essays, etc.) to create meaning, effect, and convey their message. It’s about looking beneath the surface of the plot or content to understand the author’s craft.
In other words, it delves into the craft of the writing itself.
Key elements examined include:
Diction: Word choice (why this word and not another?).
Syntax: Sentence structure (short/long sentences, complexity, order of words).
Imagery: Language appealing to the senses.
Figurative Language: Metaphors, similes, personification, etc.
Tone: The author’s attitude towards the subject.
Narrative Voice: The perspective and style of the narrator.
Rhythm and Sound: (Though less central than in poetry, still relevant).
The goal is to understand how these specific linguistic and stylistic choices create
- meaning
- evoke emotion
- contribute to the overall effect
Here is a step-by-step guide to help you conduct a prose analysis:
Step 1: Read for Understanding and Initial Impressions
First Read: Read the text through once to understand the basic plot, characters, setting, and main ideas. Don’t worry too much about analysis yet.
Identify Key Passages/Moments: On a second read, start highlighting or noting passages that seem particularly important, striking, confusing, or where the writing style stands out.
Note Initial Reactions: What emotions does the text evoke? What questions do you have? What do you notice about the author’s voice or tone?
Step 2: Identify the Core Subject and Theme
Subject: What is the text literally about? (e.g., a family fighting over a magical object, a man living in a totalitarian society).
Theme: What are the underlying messages or ideas the author is exploring? (e.g., the dangers of greed, the nature of power, the importance of truth).
Step 3: Focus on Specific Prose Elements (The “How”)
This is the core of prose analysis. Go back to the text and look closely at the author’s specific choices in language and style. Consider these elements:
Diction (Word Choice):
What specific words does the author use? Are they simple or complex? Formal or informal? Positive or negative?
Are there recurring words or types of words?
What is the connotation (implied meaning) of the words, not just the denotation (literal meaning)?
Syntax (Sentence Structure):
Are sentences long or short? Simple or complex?
Does the author use varied sentence structures, or are they repetitive?
How is punctuation used?
Does the sentence structure create a particular rhythm or pace? (e.g., short sentences for tension, long sentences for description).
Imagery:
What sensory details does the author use (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch)?
How does the imagery contribute to the mood, atmosphere, or understanding of characters/setting?
Are there recurring types of imagery?
Figurative Language:
Does the author use metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, etc.?
What is the effect of this figurative language? How does it help the reader understand abstract ideas or create vivid comparisons?
Tone:
What is the author’s attitude towards the subject, characters, or reader? (e.g., serious, humorous, sarcastic, detached, critical).
How is the tone created through diction, syntax, and imagery?
Narrative Voice/Point of View:
Who is telling the story? (First person “I”, third person “he/she/it/they”).
Is the narrator omniscient (all-knowing), limited (knows one character’s thoughts), or objective (reports only what is seen/heard)?
How does the narrator’s voice or perspective influence what the reader knows and how they feel about the story?
Symbolism:
Are there objects, people, or events that represent something larger than themselves?
How does the author use language to imbue these elements with symbolic meaning?
Step 4: Analyze the Effect of the Prose Elements
This is where you move beyond just identifying devices to explaining their purpose. For each element you identify in Step 3, ask yourself:
Why does the author use this specific word/sentence structure/image here?
What effect does it have on the reader?
How does it contribute to the meaning, theme, mood, or character development?
How does this choice make the writing effective or powerful?
Step 5: Formulate a Thesis Statement
Based on your observations in Steps 3 and 4, develop a clear, arguable statement about how the author’s prose style contributes to the text’s meaning or effect.
Your thesis should connect specific prose techniques to a larger interpretation of the text (e.g., “Carver’s minimalist diction and focus on action create a sense of chilling detachment that highlights the brutal reality of the domestic conflict”).
Step 6: Structure Your Analysis (Outline)
Plan your essay or analysis. Typically, you’ll have:
An introduction with your thesis statement.
Body paragraphs, each focusing on a specific prose element or a set of related elements, showing how they work and what effect they have. Use textual evidence (quotes!) to support every point.
A conclusion that summarizes your main points and reiterates your thesis in new words.
Step 7: Write and Revise
Write your analysis, ensuring smooth transitions between ideas.
Use specific textual evidence (quotes) and explain how that evidence supports your analytical claims.
Explain the “why” – don’t just point out a device; explain its function and effect.
Revise for clarity, coherence, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Ensure your analysis directly supports your thesis.
Difference Between Prose Analysis and Poem Analysis
While both involve analyzing an author’s use of language, the key difference lies in the primary focus and the specific set of devices most relevant to each form.
Prose Analysis:
Focus: How language and style contribute to meaning, character, plot, setting, and theme in non-poetic forms (sentences, paragraphs, overall narrative structure).
Key Devices: Diction, Syntax, Imagery, Figurative Language, Tone, Narrative Voice/Point of View, Symbolism, Structure (of paragraphs, chapters, overall narrative).
Emphasis: Often on the flow of sentences, the development of ideas over paragraphs, the narrator’s perspective, and the use of language to build a narrative world and explore complex themes through story and character.
Poem Analysis:
Focus: How language, sound, rhythm, and structure work together to create meaning, evoke emotion, and convey ideas in a poem.
Key Devices: Diction, Imagery, Figurative Language, Tone, Symbolism (all shared with prose, but often used more intensely or concisely in poetry), PLUS:
Sound Devices: Alliteration, assonance, consonance, rhyme, rhythm, meter, onomatopoeia.
Structure: Stanza form, line breaks, enjambment, caesura, form (sonnet, haiku, free verse, etc.).
Emphasis: Often on the musicality of language, the significance of line breaks and stanza divisions, the compression of meaning, and how sound and structure contribute to the poem’s emotional and intellectual impact.
In Summary:
Think of it this way: Prose analysis focuses on the tools used to build narratives and arguments using standard sentence and paragraph structures. Poem analysis focuses on the tools used to create concentrated meaning and emotional effect through the careful arrangement of words, sounds, and lines, often deviating from standard grammatical structures for artistic effect. While there’s overlap in devices like imagery and metaphor, the unique elements of rhythm, rhyme, meter, and line/stanza structure are central to poem analysis, while narrative voice, syntax variation across paragraphs, and the relationship between language and plot/character development are more central to prose analysis.