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Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in Table Talk, July 12, 1827: "I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of prose and poetry; that is, prose = words in their best order; poetry = the best words in their best order."

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Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an English poet and critic, is often credited with this famous quote about the difference between prose and poetry. It highlights the power and intricacy of poetry in using the best words in the best order.

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Q: Who said this famous phrase 'Prose is words in the best order poetry is the best words in the best order'?
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Which came first- prose or poetry?

Prose -free from rhythmical pattern -straight forward -uses simple words -ordinary spoken -more on facts -in paragraph form while Poetry -uses rhyming words and metrical patterns -it has lines and stanzas -uses figurative language -uses symbolism


What is the kindof this poem?

Are you referring to Prose Poetry, where the word order may be shifted to provide heightened effect?


What is economy of words in poetry?

Poetry is actually condensed thought, which also means, when compared to prose, there will have to be economization of words in poetry. Without economization of words, poetry will more tend to be prose. In other words, poetry can be elaborated into prose and prose condensed into poetry, in the hands of experienced and talented writers.


What does 'My verse your virtues rare shall eternize' mean in modern English?

This is Modern English. The word order and the diction are different from normal prose because Poetry differs from Prose in just such devices.


How is prose different from poetry?

Prose is written in regular paragraph form, while poetry is written in structured lines and stanzas that often use poetic devices like rhyme and rhythm. Prose tends to focus on telling a story or conveying information, while poetry often emphasizes emotions and imagery through more creative language.


What are the sub genres of poetry?

Some common subgenres of poetry include haiku, sonnet, ode, ballad, elegy, limerick, and free verse. Each subgenre has its own distinctive characteristics and structure, influencing the style and tone of the poem.


In 30 words or fewer, explain what Coleridge is reminding us to consider when writing poetry.?

Word choice is important in both poetry and prose, but in poetry, each word stands out and should be the "best word" possible. The order of those words plays an important part too!


Is the book of Jeremiah arranged Chronologically?

The book of Jeremiah is not arranged chronologically. It contains a mix of poetry, prose, narratives, and oracles that are grouped together thematically rather than in strict chronological order.


What is the difference between and poetry and prose?

The most basic answer might be: Prose is language that has as its primary goal the sharing of information. Poetry has as its primary goal the use of language itself as music. There is no rule that says a given piece of writing MUST be one or the other.______________Sometimes the distinction is unclear. We have to live with it. Some prose letters of Emily Dickinson have been re-scanned in the form of verse; it's the way she wrote. If the intention of the author is given, the author's word should hold.Let's begin by setting aside certain features of language. Ordinary talk between ordinary people uses ordinary language. Verbs do what verbs do; nouns do what nouns do. This is what we learned in grade school. So, we set aside certain features of language. Rhyme, for example, is a quintessentially poetic feature of language and rarely do we use in ordinary language; when we do, we laugh because it sounds so unnatural. And, yet, when used purposefully, when called to the foreground of an incident of language, rhyme takes on the dimensions of beauty. We have, of course, stepped from mere language into realm of literature.Poetry and prose overlap considerably. There are, in fact, great traditions of poetic prose and prose poetry, so, on some level, it's foolish to imagine that there's a clear cut difference and never the twain shall meet. A scale must be properly drawn between them on which tendency associate towards one of the other. Organization of language (such as into stanzas) tends to associate with poetry, but there are, of course, exceptions. Lines, too, tend towards poetry; sentences toward prose. Meter tends toward poetry, but not extremely so. Metaphor, for example, is not commented on by the scale; it is accessible to both. And so on.Poetry versus ProsePoetry refers to poems, with or without rhyme schemes. Prose is writing a story,either fiction or nonfiction. Poetry and prose are both forms of expression in writing. Prose usually has fewer structural guidelines, and in some ways, that makes poetry more of an art form. Being able to express the same thought and image in fewer words, choosing more carefully, etc., makes poetry more difficult to master than prose. Poetry has rhythm, like a song. Poetry has cadence, like a drum. Poetry may rhyme but, I'm not wrong, When I say it can be ho hum.Poetry usually follows a set pattern, rhyme scheme and meter. It is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities. Prose is simply regular writing, like in a story, a letter, or regular speech. There are usually no patterns, just sentences and paragraphs.Prose writing most often follows standard rules in grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure. Poetry often doesn't, for expressive reasons, and every word, period, etc. is carefully chosen to say the most using the least words.Prose is the language of everyday speech, or the writing medium that mimics it. Poetry is a more refined or structured or rhythmic form of prose.Poetry has a shrinking readership. This is mainly because of competition from other media, but partly because poetry written in the last 50 years is perceived to have not been up to past standards.On the other hand, there is a lot of modern poetry that is quality. Whether or not the readership is going down in some circles, there are remarkable poets who have been active during the last 50 years, and hopefully will continue to be.Answer:Many definitions exist for poetry and for prose, and the characteristics are very blended and the border between them made very grey - the above answers are all correct, in a way.I, however, think that the difference between poetry and prose is that poetry ought to be written linearly whereas prose is that which is to be structured into paragraphs. Coleridge defined poetry as "the right words in the right order" and my father always said "maximal meaning in minimal wording", but I would reckon that this line/paragraph differentiation is the best way to separate.Merged ResponseIn general terms, prose is the everyday language used by most speakers of a language. It is the language of this answer, and of the newspaper articles you read this morning. It is the language of most fiction, non-fiction, history and biography. You can see that the term is extremely broad and covers a great many different kinds of writing. Poetry is the use of many different elements of language to convey concepts and feelings in a way that is different from the frank relating of information. These elements include the sounds and rhythms of words and of groups of words. The rhythmic pattern of language is called prosody [not to be confused with the word prose, and not to be confused with the classic and over-worked forms like iambic pentameter]. Some poetry has strong structural components and some is free from obvious structural constraint. Because poets tend to hear and respond to the sounds, rhythms, cadence and structure of language, it has a great deal in common with music.Sometimes the distinction between prose and poetry is difficult to draw. You might say that poetry is more symbolic or that it makes more use of imagery, but all language is metaphorical and therefor symbolic in nature. The distinction probably does not matter, as long as the writer has something to say that you are willing to hear.


Characteristic of a prose?

Prose lacks the formal structure of meter or rhyme which is typical of poetry; instead it is composed of full sentences, usually divided into paragraphs, and then smaller segments known as meta-paragraphs. Although some works of prose may happen to contain traces of metrical structure or versification, a conscious blend of the two forms of literature is known as a prose poem. Similarly, the poetry with less of the common rules and limitations of verse is known as free verse. Poetry is considered to be artificially developed ("The best words in the best order"), whereas prose is thought to be less constructed and more reflective of ordinary speech.[1] Pierre de Ronsard, the French poet, said that his training as a poet had proved to him that prose and poetry were mortal enemies. In Molière's play Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Monsieur Jourdain asks something to be written in neither verse nor prose. A philosophy master says to him, "Sir, there is no other way to express oneself than with prose or verse". Jourdain replies, "By my faith! For more than forty years I have been speaking prose without knowing anything about it, and I am much obliged to you for having taught me that."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prose


What is the antonym for poetry?

Prose is the antonym for poetry. Poetry is typically characterized by metrical rhythm, rhyme, and expressive language, while prose is written or spoken language in its ordinary form without a metrical structure.


What is the oldest form of literature?

Literary GenresThe main divisions are as follows: Prose FictionThe novelThe short storyThe novella (a short novel that often focuses on the action rather than on the characters)PoetryLyricEpicBalladDramaTragedyComedy