Unit 9: Literary Nonfiction

As the name suggests, literary nonfiction, sometimes referred to as creative nonfiction, is a hybrid genre.

Works in this category are nonfiction in the sense that they are fact-based accounts of actual events, people, and places.

Among the most common types of literary nonfiction are literary journalism, memoir, nature writing, and travel writing.

A memoir is a type of autobiography that focuses on one incident or period in an individual’s life.

Works of literary nonfiction often are compared to or even described as essays, short nonfiction works that present a single main idea, or thesis, about a particular topic.

Works of literary nonfiction often are compared to or even described as essays, short nonfiction works that present a single main idea, or thesis, about a particular topic.

As indicated by the variety of types of literary nonfiction, writers in this genre may have any of several purposes, or aims.

To help readers see common things in new ways, writers of every genre employ figurative language, which is intended to be understood imaginatively rather than literally.

Consider Norris’s use of personification in describing sunflowers as if they were people: “Acres of sunflowers brighten the land in summer, their heads alert, expectant. By fall they droop like sad children, waiting patiently for the first frost and harvest.”

Notice her use of simile, as well, in which she uses the connector like to compare the sunflowers to “sad children.”

As modern storytellers, writers of literary nonfiction often employ the elements of fiction, such as plot, character, and dialogue.

As modern storytellers, writers of literary nonfiction often employ the elements of fiction, such as plot, character, and dialogue.

As modern storytellers, writers of literary nonfiction often employ the elements of fiction, such as plot, character, and dialogue.