Unit 3 Concepts

Literary nonfiction is a form of non-fiction writing, meaning it is factual, but it is told as a story (Literary = written, fiction = imaginary; so nonfiction = not imaginary, or real). When authors write literary nonfiction, the author is telling the reader events in the way they happened — or at least the way the author remembers them.

When reading literary nonfiction, you should expect a few differences from other non-fiction texts:

• You may not find features such as subtitles, subheadings, diagrams, pictures.

• The events are true, but are the way the author remembers them, not necessarily the way they actually happened.

• Authors may alter some events to make their point or to make the events more interesting.

Examples of literary nonfiction include personal narrative and memoir.

Titles can help readers predict the situation and conflict in a story. 

The central idea in literary nonfiction is the author's message for the reader told through the events in the story. The central idea is also sometimes called the key idea. Central ideas are not the topics or events of the text. These are some characteristics of central, or key, ideas:

• They express the author's point.

• They drive the author's message.

• They are often not stated directly to the reader.

• There may be more than one central idea of a text.

Character Thoughts
Use the narrator's thoughts to infer conflict, perspectives, and reactions to others or events.

Character Change
Often, the way the main character changes or the lesson they learn is the message that authors want their readers to learn.

Plot Events
Plot events are not central ideas. However, events that solve the conflict generally provide clues.

Diction
Choosing words purposefully for a specific effect is called diction. A writer's use of diction can server to provoke feelings, create emphasis, or pain vivid imagery (descriptions of sensory details) in writing.

Denotative Meaning
A word's denotative meaning is its literal meaning—the dictionary definition. For example, the words "house" and "home" have the same denotative meaning: a place where one lives.

Connotative Meaning
Some words have a connotative meaning in addition to a denotative meaning—they are associated with an emotion or other nonliteral meaning.

For example, while the word "home" can have a denotative meaning, it also has a connotative meaning that conjures warmth and family.

Nuance

Understanding the difference between a word’s denotative and connotative purpose means knowing the subtle differences in shades of meaning.

For example, a writer can decide to say a character "marched" across the street, or they can say the character "shuffled" across the street. Both words suggest a nuanced description in the way the character is walking.

In a personal narrative, an author's point of view is how they look at the world. It reveals their beliefs or ideas about their experience or situation. Authors convey their point of view through details over the course of a text.

Here are some types of details that may convey an author's point of view:

• observations and descriptions  

• thoughts or speech  

• interactions with others  

• response to an experience

There are a variety of ways in which authors can do this.

For example, authors may make certain structural decisions that help organize their most important ideas. These decisions about structure include

• how they introduce ideas and events.

Authors may introduce an idea or event with a clear statement that directly expresses it. They may also introduce an idea or event with relevant background information that provides context for the reader. 

• how they develop ideas and events.

Authors may develop ideas or events depicted in the text with carefully selected details that describe them. In narrative writing, authors may also reflect on ideas or events, exploring their own feelings toward their subject. 

• how they order ideas and events.

Authors may order ideas and events in a linear, chronological sequence—in other words, in the order the events occurred, or the order the ideas emerged in real life. Alternatively, authors may choose to order information in a nonlinear way to create certain effects. 

• how they connect ideas and events across a text.

Authors may connect ideas and events by showing how they are similar to or different from one another. For example, an author may use words with similar connotative or figurative meanings to describe distinct ideas or events. 

Memoirs are nonfiction texts in which authors provide a first-person account of something they recollect from their lives. 

The French word mémoire means "memory." As the word’s origin suggests, memoir writers explore their memories. 

Because memoirs represent memory rather than historical facts, minor details may be inaccurate. Such minor inaccuracies or inconsistencies in a memoir are acceptable to readers. However, when memoir authors deliberately distort facts, the work may draw severe criticism because readers feel cheated.  

Setting up the Story

When creating a narrative, writers must first set up or frame the story. Writers create a problem, situation, or observation that provides a foundation for the story.

Writers also establish points of view and introduce themselves and other characters/individuals throughout the course of the narrative.

Using Narrative Techniques

Writers use dialogue to develop the events and characters. To have a desired impact on readers or target specific emotions, writers consider how to pace the ideas or events in a narrative. For example, some details may require slowing down, whereas others, such as nervous character interactions, may require speeding up.

Writers also use thoughtful and detailed description, including sensory language and precise words and phrases. Finally, writers provide reflections on the events so readers can consider the impact and learn from them.

Structuring the Text

When structuring a narrative, it is important for writers to create a smooth progression of experiences or events. How a writer orders events or ideas in a text can create certain effects on the reader and how they connect to the story being told.

Providing a Conclusion

When crafting a personal narrative, writers create an ending that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved. Writers tend to tie in their experiences to a larger purpose or concept that they want the reader to understand or learn from.