Introduction

Relevance of the Theme

The study of 'Construction of a Literary Text: Verse and Prose' is fundamental for the Portuguese discipline. It constitutes the basis of literature and is the fundamental piece in the art of storytelling. Verse and Prose are two sides of the same coin, representing respectively the music and the speech of the text. By understanding them, students are able to unravel the hidden melody in words, and appreciate the art of textual structure.

Contextualization

'Verse and Prose: Construction of a Literary Text' is an essential component of the 1st year High School curriculum. It fits into the introductory section of literature, where students are gradually introduced to the beauty and complexity of language expressed through literature. This theme serves as a springboard for future topics, such as the analysis of poems and prose, and the understanding of literary styles. Learning about verse and prose, therefore, builds a solid foundation for the appreciation and understanding of literature not only in school but also in everyday life.

Theoretical Development

Components

• Verse: The verse is the basic unit of a poem, characterized by rhythm and the graphic arrangement of words. It is composed of a sequence of words organized in one or more lines, usually for aesthetic and sound purposes. Each line of the verse is called a 'line'. The verse can be classified according to the number of syllables, stanzas, and rhymes.

  • Poetic Syllables: Different from grammatical syllables, which are counted by speech, poetic syllables are measured by the poem's rhythm. Not all words have the same amount of grammatical and poetic syllables. This allows the poet to play with the musicality of the text.

  • Stanza: The set of verses in a poetic composition is called a stanza. The stanza is analogous to the paragraph in prose but is distinguished by its metric and rhythmic organization.

  • Rhymes: The repetition of sounds in different verses is called rhyme. Rhymes can be classified in various ways, including their position in the verse (end, internal, or initial), the number of syllables they contain (richness of rhymes), and the type of sound that repeats (assonance or alliteration).

• Prose: Prose is the common form of written or spoken expression, without concern for rhyme or rhythm. It is widely used in novels, essays, articles, dialogues, among others. In prose, the author has the freedom to organize their ideas in the way they find most appropriate, without being bound by strict structural rules.

Key Terms

• Rhythm: Rhythm is the regular succession of elements in a literary work. In verse, rhythm is regulated by the rhythmic distribution of syllables, creating a kind of textual 'melody'.

• Melody: Analogous to melodic music, the melody of the verse is created by the rhythmic combination of poetic syllables, providing a pleasant sound to the reading.

• Rhythmic Prose: Term used to describe prose texts that present a striking rhythmic structure, even without the presence of rhyme. This resource is widely used in literature to confer beauty and fluency to the text.

Examples and Cases

• Verse: Extracted from the poem 'Sonnet of Fidelity' by Vinicius de Moraes:

  That it be not immortal, since it is flame, But let it be infinite while it lasts.

  In this example, it is possible to identify two verses separated by a comma. Each verse has the same number of poetic syllables, 8 in the first and 7 in the second, but different grammatical syllables.

• Prose: Excerpt from the novel 'Dom Casmurro' by Machado de Assis:

  'Upon reaching the balcony, Estácio's eyes met Hipólita, who was the daughter of the caretaker'

  This excerpt is an example of prose, in which ideas are expressed directly, without constant rhyme or rhythm. Each sentence presents a unit of meaning.

Next to this theme, we also have the study of figures of speech, which compose and enrich both prose and verse, a theme that will be addressed in our future classes.

Understanding the construction of a literary text through verse and prose is essential to delve into more complex studies of literature, making students more skillful and critical readers.