speak prose

Question

What does it mean when someone is "speaking prose", as in "like a child who had taken umbrage at the discovery that he'd spoken prose all his life"? Is it telling dull stories, or talking nonsense or just far-fetched, invented stories?

Thanks!

Lucrezia

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

Based on:

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umbrage

5 : DISPLEASURE, RESENTMENT, ANNOYANCE <persons who feel most umbrage from the overshadowing aristocracy -- Sir Walter Scott> -- usually used in the phrases give umbrage or take umbrage<would give umbrage to them by not sending an invitation> <never take umbrage unless you can lick the guy -- Jackie Gleason>

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Probably: he was displeased to discover he'd acted and spoken in a relatively dull manner all his life.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Do you think you could give us more context for that quote? It seems to be written in an ironic manner. Prose isn't dull by definition - it just means standard writing or speech - not in iambic pentameter or anything. Perhaps the child thought that "prose" would be exciting and was disappointed to learn it just mean normal words.

Lucrezia · Answer

Thanks Marius, but it's not umbrage that's unclear to me, it's "speaking prose".

Grammar Geek, here's the context. It's meant to be a sort of metaphor. It's a about an Indian soldier who served in British Indian army. For him, it was just a job like any other, but once someone called him a mercenary. He had never thought of himself that way. Then he complained to his British CO who was surprised that this soldier could take offense at something that was just a statement of fact. So this Indian soldier felt like everybody knew something that he didn't know, got angry with himself and felt "like a child who'd taken umbrage at the discovery that he'd spoken prose all his life".

Thank you both!

Lucrezia

Clive · Answer

Hi guys,

One of the meanings of prose is 'dull or commonplace speech', but I've never actually heard anyone use the word with that meaning.

What I do hear, and use, to mean 'dull,commonplace' is the adjectival/adverbial form: prosaic/-ally.

Best wishes, Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Could it be that the child was just telling stories?

Marius Hancu · Answer

>Thanks Marius, but it's not umbrage that's unclear to me, it's "speaking prose".

Umbrage is a key to understanding that para.

And I gave you my interpretation, which still stands after you've posted your context.

Marius Hancu · Answer

He found that he had led a prosaic life, that's what it is.

Check c here:
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prosaic

Etymology: Late Latin prosaicus, from Latin prosa prose + -icus -ic --
more at PROSE

1 a : of or relating to prose : written in prose b : belonging to or
characteristic of prose as distinguished from poetry : FACTUAL,
LITERAL <the poetic is in the same way an exacter speech than the
prosaic -- Hugh Kenner> <the intention is a prosaic statement of
weather conditions -- John Dewey> c : having a dull, flat,
unimaginative quality of style or expression <prosaic dullness,
excessive and mere factuality -- E.R.Bentley> <something provincial,
mean, and prosaic -- Matthew Arnold>

2 : belonging to or suitable for the everyday world : COMMONPLACE,
DOWN-TO-EARTH, MATTER-OF-FACT <the more prosaic business of testing boilers -- Richard Thruelsen> <a far more robust, more religious and,
in a good sense, more prosaic heritage -- Douglas Bush>

- pro·sa·ic·ness noun -es

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Lucrezia · Answer

Thank you all for your help!

Lucrezia

MrPedantic · Answer

This seems to be an obscure reference to (or perhaps misremembering of) Molière's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, II iv:

MAÎTRE DE PHILOSOPHIE: Tout ce qui n'est point prose est vers; et tout ce qui n'est point vers est prose.
[All that isn't prose is verse; and all that isn't verse is prose.]

MONSIEUR JOURDAIN: Et comme l'on parle qu'est-ce que c'est donc que cela?
[And when you're talking – what's that, then?]

MP: De la prose.
[Prose.]

MJ: Quoi? quand je dis: "Nicole, apportez-moi mes pantoufles, et me donnez mon bonnet de nuit" , c'est de la prose?
[What? When I say, Nicole, bring me my slippers, and give me my nightcap, it's prose?]

MP: Oui, Monsieur.
[Yes, monsieur.]

MJ: Par ma foi! il y a plus de quarante ans que je dis de la prose sans que j'en susse rien...
[Good Heavens. So I've been talking prose for more than 40 years without knowing anything about it...]

As GG says, it's a little ironic. The soldier sees himself in a different light, when he is given a new label, just as Monsieur J. sees his own speech in a different light, when he discovers that it's "prose". Then the soldier is angry with himself, because his "umbrage" seems suddenly ridiculous, when he discovers that everyone else treats the label as a matter of fact.

MrP

Marius Hancu · Answer

It might indeed be a reference to Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.

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