How Much Does Prose Matter?

Hemingway in 1939

How much does prose matter?

It's a question I've been thinking about lately. How important is the actual writing of your story - not simply the plot, characters, et cetera... but the words?

I was thinking about this largely because of Hemingway and what I've been reading of him. He hated Jews, gays, probably women... - and it did tend to seep into his writing. But he's nearly always ranked as one of the greatest American writers out there!

Why? Well, he could definitely tell a story! But he became great because of his clean, understated prose - a style he developed as a journalist during WW1. You may have heard of his "iceberg principle" - writing a piece but taking out all unnecessary detail. The effect is an iceberg - only a little is visible (read), but a whole lot hangs under the water (is implied and understood.)

I was thinking of this, additionally, because of Milan Kundera's novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." I've been reading it quickly and quite a bit. Kundera's complex characters have won my heart, as well as the work's style. It's a "novel of ideas", presenting existential notions to explain its characters pasts and how their histories affect their actions.

So how much does prose matter? I've been learning that a strong voice and style can definitely influence the power of a work. It can make a serious subject seem silly, or the reverse. It can make an irritatingly quirky character curious. It can make a scene heartbreaking beautiful or sickeningly melodramatic.

What are your thoughts on the power of prose?