[INDOLOGY] What is "prose"?

[Aleix Ruiz Falqués]

Dear List,

I am looking for publications on the concept of "prose" in Sanskrit.
Whereas definitions of "verse" are more or less common, if only by looking
at examples of specific types of stanzas or verses, it seems that the
concept of prose is more vague, generally meaning "whatever is not
organised in pādas". Of course, in poetic treatises the concept *gadya *or*
cūrṇa* is used, and genres like the *campū* presuppose the
dichotomy verse-prose. But I would like to know if this is critically
discussed elsewhere.

Apart from references to primary sources in Indian texts, I am also
interested in definitions of Sanskrit (or Prakrit, or Tamil, etc.) prose in
modern scholarly literature. My understanding is that a concept like
"Sanskrit prose" is taken for granted and we all are supposed to know what
it means, so it is difficult to find definitions or sub-classifications of
it. This seems to happen with Pali, and the moment we try to classify types
of prose we are already discussing literary genres or types of texts (the 9
aṅgas), not types of prose per se, with the exception, perhaps, with the
so-called metrical prose of the veḍha (varṇaka) portions.

I am also interested in the origins or verse and prose in general, in world
literature.

Any help will be most appreciated.

With best wishes,
Aleix

-- 
Aleix Ruiz-Falqués
Pali Lecturer & Head of the Department of Pali and Languages
Shan State Buddhist University
Phaya Phyu, Taunggyi, Myanmar 140101
(+95) 09428757648
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