"A prose writer gets tired of writing prose, and wants to be a poet. So he begins every line with a capital letter, and keeps on writing prose"
- Samuel McChord Crothers
About this Quote
This quote by Samuel McChord Crothers is a humorous method of explaining the desire of a prose writer to end up being a poet. It suggests that the author is so desperate to end up being a poet that they are willing to attempt anything, even if it implies writing prose with each line start with an uppercase. This quote is a pointer that it takes more than just capitalizing the very first letter of each line to end up being a poet. It is a tip that writing poetry needs ability, creativity, and a deep understanding of language. It is also a reminder that it is essential to acknowledge the distinctions in between prose and poetry and to value the beauty of both.
"I think Maus I is better than Maus II. The standard here is whether or not it's as good as a great book of prose literature and by that standard, no, it's not that great"
"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"