"The writer of prose can only step aside when the poet passes"
- W. Somerset Maugham
About this Quote
This quote by W. Somerset Maugham recommends that the power and impact of verse goes beyond that of prose. It implies that when a poet goes to work, the writer of prose should take a backseat as well as permit the poet to take spotlight.
Maugham highlights the superiority of verse and its capacity to evoke emotions, boost ideas as well as record the essence of a minute or a feeling. He acknowledges that prose has its very own special top qualities and also toughness however thinks that it can not fairly match the deepness as well as intensity of poetic expression.
Overall, the quote highlights the respect and also appreciation that Maugham had for poetry and also its capability to relocate people in ways that prose can not.
"The atmosphere of orthodoxy is always damaging to prose, and above all it is completely ruinous to the novel, the most anarchical of all forms of literature"
"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 the best order"