Nonstandardprosaic

Nonstandardprosaic is a term used in literary criticism to describe prose that departs from conventional standard prose. It designates passages or texts in which syntax, diction, punctuation, or typographic presentation are deliberately atypical, often to foreground cognitive processes, voice, or stylistic experimentation rather than straightforward narrative clarity. The term is generally used as an umbrella label rather than a formal genre.

The term combines nonstandard with prosaic, reflecting a contrast with ordinary, everyday prose. It is primarily encountered in modern and contemporary criticism, literary blogs, and scholarly discussions of experimental writing. It does not refer to a single school or movement, but to a descriptive category that can apply across authors and media.

Common features include irregular sentence boundaries, fragmented syntax, unconventional punctuation, neologisms, invented or altered spellings, multilingual insertions, and typographic experimentation such as lineation or unusual spacing. The effect is often to intensify voice, mood, or temporal texture, or to simulate stream-of-consciousness and associative thought. Readability may be reduced or reframed as a deliberate aesthetic.

Because nonstandardprosaic is a descriptive label rather than a fixed canon, it overlaps with terms such as experimental prose, prose poetry, avant-garde writing, and postmodern technique. Critics may debate its usefulness as a category, given its broad scope and varying aims.

See also:

- Experimental prose

- Prose poetry

- Avant-garde

- Nonstandard English

- Experimental literature