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Non-fiction genres: definition
Non-fiction is a very broad category of literature, but what is it exactly?
Non-fiction - Literature that recounts a true story and is informative.
Non-fiction must be based on fact, it cannot centre around a fictional story. The purpose of non-fiction novels is principally to inform the reader about a true story. Like any category of literature, non-fiction can be broken down into different genres and subgenres.
Genre - A category of literature.
Genres are an easy way to distinguish between different types of literature. There are four main genres in non-fiction literature that are used to differentiate how these novels are presented. From there, there are multiple subgenres focusing on the content that these texts may cover.
Genres of literary non-fiction
The three main genres of literary non-fiction are expository, narrative, and persuasive.
Expository non-fiction
One of the best-known genres of non-fiction is the expository book.
Expository non-fiction - Literature that shares information in a direct manner.
Expository non-fiction books are perhaps the easiest non-fiction genre to spot. These are texts that present the facts of a topic in a straightforward manner. These books typically do not follow one particular story. Instead, expository texts will frequently present research on a certain topic without any extra narrative. Subgenres of the expository non-fiction genre include academic texts, recipe books or other instruction manuals.
Narrative non-fiction
Narrative non-fiction is one of the most popular genres of non-fiction texts.
Narrative non-fiction - A true story that is presented in the same manner as a fictional tale.
This genre of non-fiction novel is one of the broadest as it encompasses any true story that is told in the style of a fiction novel. To put it simply, narrative non-fiction refers to facts that are told as a story. There are many subgenres of this category, including (auto)biographies, travelogues, and literary journalism.
This genre often includes descriptive non-fiction. This is a subgenre of non-fiction that uses figurative language to create a descriptive story. It is often used to create texts such as travel guides. Descriptive non-fiction can be used to enhance the story being told in a piece of narrative non-fiction.
Persuasive non-fiction
Persuasive non-fiction is a genre that consists of works that argue for an opinion.
Persuasive non-fiction - A text that aims to convince the reader of a viewpoint.
This is a common genre of non-fiction that can overlap with other categories, such as expository non-fiction. The purpose of persuasive non-fiction is to argue either in favour or against something. It will present the facts of the argument and try to persuade the reader to agree. Persuasive non-fiction often takes the form of academic texts such as a thesis or an essay. Features of this genre include logical arguments and cohesive summaries.
Non-fiction genres examples
Expository non-fiction
Expository non-fiction texts are extremely common, One of the most popular types of expository texts is the encyclopedia. These texts provide information in a straightforward, structured manner. An example of this can be found in the Encyclopedia Britannica. Below is an extract from the text's chapter on English Literature - look at how facts are presented!
English literature, [is] the body of written work produced in the English language by inhabitants of the British Isles (including Ireland) from the 7th century to the present day.
Narrative non-fiction
A notable example of narrative non-fiction is the true crime novel, In Cold Blood (1965) by Truman Capote. The novel retells the story of the murders of the Clutter family. It is best known for how it blends together facts with a literary narrative. An extract from In Cold Blood (1965), is found below, notice how Capote presents the facts of the case in a literary manner,
Once a thing is set to happen, all you can do is hope it won't. Or will-depending. As long as you live, there’s always something waiting, and even if it’s bad, and you know it's bad, what can you do? You can’t stop living.
Chapter 1
Persuasive non-fiction
An example of persuasive non-fiction can be found in academic texts. The purpose of these texts is to argue in favour of a view point. This means that the text will aim to persuade the reader to agree with it. An example of this can be seen in the article Joyce's Exile: The Prodigal Son by Joseph Kelly. In the article, Kelly aims to persuade the reader that Joyce's life was more typical and ordinary than previous literature would suggest.
The more-or-less settled version of James Joyce's life paints him as a bohemian iconoclast who refused to conform to the conventions of responsibility demanded by middle-class society. A reconsideration of the published biographical evidence and a number of unpublished letters (now at Cornell University) exchanged with his siblings suggest that we should regard Joyce as much more conventional.
Non-fiction subgenres: examples
There are also multiple subgenres of non-fiction texts. These include academic texts, biographies and travelogues.
Academic texts
Academic texts are one of the most common subgenres of non-fiction texts.
Academic texts - These are specialised texts which are created by academics that argue a point or report observations.
Academic texts must be critical and objective as they are reporting facts and arguing a viewpoint. These texts are always written formally, and use full punctuation and grammar. They follow a strict structure with a clearly earmarked introduction, main body and conclusion. These texts are non-fiction as they are completely based on fact and they typically fall into the expository genre of non-fiction works. As they try to convince the reader of an argument they are also a subgenre of the persuasive non-fiction genre. Examples of different types of academic texts include research papers, reviews, reports, essays, and critique papers.
Biography
A popular subgenre of the narrative non-fiction genre is the biography.
Biography - A text containing the history of a person's life.
Biographies are one of the most common forms of the non-fiction genre, and they can be found in any bookshop or library across the world. The biography tells the true story of a person's life. When it is written by the subject themself, it is referred to as an autobiography. Biographies typically contain basic information about the subject, as well as stories from major events in their lives.
A famous example of a biography is Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg (2015) by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik. The biography chronicled the life of American judge, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. An extract from the biography is found below.
For some reason, people repeatedly have asked RBG when she thought there would be enough women on the court. The question is asinine, her answer effective: ''When there are nine''.
Chapter 10
Travelogues
Another common subgenre of the non-fiction genre is the travelogue.
Travelogue - The true account of the experiences of a traveler while on their journey.
Travelogues relay the journey of a traveler to the audience. These texts differ from travel guides as they fall into the narrative non-fiction genre, rather than the expository genre. Travelogues use descriptive language to recount where the traveler went, as well as the people, food, culture, and landscapes they came into contact with. Travelogues are an easily accessible way for readers to learn about different places, while still following a narrative.
One of the most famous examples of a travelogue from the 20th century is A Walk in the Woods (1998) by Bill Bryson. The book follows Bryson as he attempts to hike the Appalachian Trail in America. An extract from the novel can be found below,
I wanted to quit and to do this forever, sleep in a bed and in a tent, see what was over the next hill and never see a hill again. All of this all at once, every moment, on the trail or off.
Chapter 18
Non-fiction genres: relevance
Non-fiction is an important genre of literature as it is a clear and easy way to convey facts and true stories. In turn, genres of non-fiction are a good way for readers to find the facts they are looking for.
For example, a travel guide and a travelogue are very different, as the former is a piece of expository non-fiction and the latter is typically a piece of narrative non-fiction.
These genres are a good way to differentiate between non-fiction texts, allowing the reader to pick a text suitable for their needs.
Non-Fiction Genres - Key takeaways
- Non-fiction is literature that recounts a true story in an informative way.
- A genre is a category of literature.
- Non-fiction genres include expository, narrative and persuasive.
- Subgenres of these include academic texts, biographies and travelogues.
- Genres are an easy way for the reader to pick a text suitable for their needs.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Non Fiction Genres
What is the non-fiction genre?
The non-fiction genre refers to texts that inform the reader about a true story or argument.
What are the four genres of non-fiction?
There are three main genres of non-fiction texts expository, narrative, and persuasive. Descriptive non-fiction is sometimes categorised as the fourth genre, however, it is often classified as a sub-genre of narrative non-fiction
What are some examples of non-fiction genres?
Examples of the non-fiction genre include travelogues and academic texts.
What is the most popular non-fiction genre?
One of the most popular non-fiction genres is a biography, which is a type of narrative non-fiction.
Is horror fiction or non-fiction?
While most horror is fiction, if the text is presenting the true facts of a story in order to inform the reader, then it is non-fiction.
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