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Literary Nonfiction Terms

Terms in this set (38)

Analogy
A point by point comparison between two things that are alike in some respect. Often writers use analogies in nonfiction to explain unfamiliar subjects or ideas in terms of familiar ones.
Anecdote
A short amusing/interesting story about a real life incident or person
Autobiography
A writer's account of his or her own life, told from first person, and focuses on the most significant events and people in the writer's life over a period of time. This can include journals, diaries, and letters.
Biography
The true account of a person's life, written by another person in 3rd person.
Chronicle
A factual written account of important or historical events in the order of their occurrence.
Connotation
An attitude or feeling associated with a word, which can be positive or negative, and has an importance influence on style/meaning, important in poetry.
Denotation
The literal, dictionary meaning of a word.
Diary
A daily record of a writer's thoughts, experiences, and feelings, type of autobiographical writing (journal)
Dialogue
Written conversation between 2 or more characters, used to bring characters to live/ give the reader insights into the character's' qualities, traits, and reactions to other characters, and advances the plot of a narrative.
Didactic
Intended to teach, having moral instruction as an ulterior motive
Editorial
A newspaper article written by or on behalf of an editor that gives an opinion on a topical issue
Essay
A short work of nonfiction that deals with a single subject
Eulogy
A speech/piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, typically someone who has just died.
Oration
A formal speech, especially one given on a ceremonial occasion
Paradox
A seemingly contradictory or absurd statement that may nonetheless suggest an important truth
Parallelism
A literary device in which parts of the sentence are grammatically the same, or similar in construction. It can be a word, a phrase, or an entire sentence repeated.
Rhetorical Question
A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get the answer.
Sarcasm
A kind of cutting irony, the taunting use of praise to insult someone or something.
Satire
A literary technique in which ideas, customs, behavior, or institutions are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society. (may be gently witty, mildly abrasive, or bitterly critical, and involves the use of irony and exaggeration to force readers to see something in a critical light)
Fact
A piece of information used as evidence used as evidence or as part of a report or news article.
Opinion
A view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge
Bias
Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
Propaganda
Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view
Author's Perspective
How the author feels about the subject(perspective). What is the author's purpose for writing?
Diction
The choice and use of words and phrases in speech and writing
Humor
The quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech.
Idiom
A figure of speech whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of its words. (It's raining cats and dogs.)
Interview
A conversation conducted by a writer or reporter, in which facts or statements are elicited from another person, recorded, and then broadcast or published.
Literary Nonfiction
Nonfiction that is recognized as being of artistic value or that is about literature. (autobiographies, biographies, essays, and eloquent speeches fall in this category.)
Memoir
A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that are basically unlike but have something in common. Metaphors don't use like or as.
Narrative Nonfiction
A genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives.
Parody
An imitation of another's work, a type of literature, or a writer's style, usually for the purpose, or writer's style, usually for the purpose of poking fun, may be to ridicule through broad humor, using exaggeration.
Repetition
A technique in which a sound, word, or phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or unity. Repetition helps to reinforce meaning and create an appealing rhythm. (ex: alliteration and parallelism)
Rhetorical Devices
Techniques writers use to enhance their arguments and communicate more effectively. (this includes analogy, parallelism, rhetorical questions, and repetition)
Style
A particular way in which a work of literature is written- not what is said, but HOW it is said, the writer's way of communicating ideas. Many elements affect the style of writing, such as word choice, sentence structure, sentence length, tone, figurative language, and point of view. A style may be described as formal, informal, journalistic, conversational, wordy, ornate, poetic, and dynamic.
Tone
The attitude the writer takes toward a subject, and is intended to shape the reader's emotional response by reflecting the feelings of the writer, can be described as a single word, such as serious, humorous, formal, informal, somber, sarcastic, playful, ironic, bitter, or objective.
Voice
A writer's unique language that allows a reader to "hear" a human personality in the writer's work. Voice can reveal much about the author's personality, beliefs, and attitude. (diction, tone, and sentence structure help convey voice)
Author's Purpose
A writer usually writes for one or more of these purposes; to express thoughts or feelings, to inform or explain, to persuade, or to entertain
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