Prose romances preceded the emergence of novel as a popular literary genre. Which texts among the following fall under the category of Prose Romance?

Correct option is B

Explanation:

The correct answer is Oroonoko and The Fair Jilt, as both texts are categorized as prose romances that emerged before the formal development of the novel as a genre. These works blend narrative fiction with romantic and heroic elements typical of early prose romances.

Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko (1688) is considered one of the earliest examples of the English prose romance. It presents a noble African prince enslaved and brought to Surinam, combining themes of exoticism, love, honor, and colonial critique.

Aphra Behn’s The Fair Jilt (1688) is another romantic prose narrative that reflects sensational and melodramatic elements characteristic of prose romance fiction.

​Information Booster:

Prose Romance is a narrative form that predates the modern novel, often blending adventurous plots, idealized characters, and heightened emotional content. It paved the way for the development of the novel.

Aphra Behn, one of the first professional women writers in English literature, played a pioneering role in shaping prose fiction. Her works mix romantic, adventurous, and political themes.

Oroonoko is particularly significant in the history of the English novel for its early treatment of slavery, race, and colonialism, while also employing a first-person narrator that anticipates the narrative voice in later novels.

The Fair Jilt, though less critically acclaimed, explores deceit, betrayal, and female agency, drawing from the romantic prose tradition that emphasized dramatic and often improbable plots.

These texts bridge the transition from prose romance to realistic novel, marking a key developmental stage in English fiction.

Additional Knowledge:

The Pilgrim’s Progress and The Spectator:

- The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678) by John Bunyan is an allegory, not a prose romance.
- The Spectator (1711) by Addison and Steele is a periodical essay series, not fiction.

Pamela and Clarissa:

- These are epistolary novels by Samuel Richardson and are considered part of the realistic novel tradition, not prose romance.

Amelia and Ferdinand, Count Fathom:

- Written by Henry Fielding and Tobias Smollett, respectively, these works belong to the early realistic picaresque novel genre, not prose romance.