purple passage

[scottobear]

purple passage (PUR-puhl PAS-ij) noun, also purple patch, purple prose

1. A brilliant passage in an otherwise dull and uninspiring work.

2. A piece of writing marked by ornate, florid style.

[From Latin pannus purpureus (purple patch), a phrase used by poet Horace in his Ars Poetica (The Art of Poetry) to suggest a patch of royal fabric on an ordinary cloth.]

Comments

hm...

[absolution.livejournal.com]

that's odd. my understanding was that purple prose is something one tries to avoid.

hm...

:)

Re: hm...

[scottobear.livejournal.com]

same here! I guess you don't want to overdo it on the ornate side.

[artemii.livejournal.com]

there is a song that uses the term "purple prose". i have always thought that was cool for a song to do.