Why can an elaborate prose style work differently in nonfiction than in novels?

An elaborate prose style is often more easily tolerated in nonfictional writing than in novels due to fundamental differences in structure and reader expectations.

In nonfictional prose, the absence of cumulative continuity—the sustained narrative arc required to maintain immersion in a work of fiction—allows for a more decorative or musical style without disrupting the reader's experience. Furthermore, nonfictional works are generally more restricted in size, preventing an ornate style from becoming tiresome or "palling" on the reader, a common risk in longer, immersive novels where such language can detract from the necessary sweep of the story.1

Additionally, nonfictional writers have greater flexibility to incorporate stylistic devices—such as irony, archaisms, alliterations, or direct authorial interventions—that might otherwise undermine the credibility of a fictional narrative. While novelists often prioritize the "precise word" (le mot juste) to maintain the tension of their created world, essayists and other nonfictional writers can adopt a more varied, rhetorical, or "happy-go-lucky" ease to engage the reader directly.1