Is Prose Superior to Poetry?

Article by Max Gaucho

Over the years there have been many occasions when I have heard
somebody ranting about the superiority of prose, particularly fiction,
over poetry. By contrast, rarely have I heard anyone suggesting the
poetry is superior to fictional prose. Does this say something about
the supporters of one as opposed to those of the other? Is there an
underlying difference between fans on prose and fans of poetry, and
are fans of poetry, as an audience, more mature and open-minded?

I would venture to say there may be a little of this involved, but
only a very little. My hunch is this: that people who value poetry
will, by and large, value prose too as those who enjoy and are able to
read poetry will also have the ability to enjoy and read prose. By
contrast there is a distinct possibility that those who enjoy prose
will not, by necessity, understand poetry. Poetry and prose are
entirely different breeds of art which are like largely only in that
they share the same tools.

I have heard it said that poetry is for those who cannot write
sustained prose, and that the real skill of an author is in writing at
length while retaining depth and keeping the reader interested.
However, I would immediately like to interject on this point. For
whoever holds any such opinion is missing something of dazzling
clarity: what kind of prose writer is able to write at length in a
manner or style akin to most poetry?

Poetrys aim is different to that of prose, and in this difference is
in no way lesser to the skill of writing prose. Most poems want to
convey with great weight a particular issue in a way which calls for
the readers close attention. It is this attention which grants the
poem a great emotional force without a huge narrative to underpin it.

The answer to the question: is prose superior to poetry? is that
prose and poetry are two distinct entities which are relatively
incomparable but which both require degrees of astuteness and skill in
their authors if they are to be successful. Writers of poetry are just
as skilled as writers of prose, and its worth remembering that many
poets are also successful authors (such as Leonard Cohen). As such,
the view that a prose author is superior to one of poetry says more
about the knowledge and capacities of the one holding the view than it
does about any real differences between the two literary forms.

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