Understanding Non-Fiction Narratives

These flashcards cover key concepts about non-fiction narratives, their characteristics, and types as discussed in the provided lecture notes.

What are the two broad categories of texts?

Fiction and Non-Fiction.

What characterizes fiction texts?

They are fictitious, not real, and often well-written and engaging.

How does a non-fiction narrative differ from a biography or autobiography?

Non-fiction narratives can be brief and thematic, while biographies and autobiographies are more comprehensive life stories.

What is a personal essay?

A personal essay is a non-fiction narrative focusing on the experiences that shape the author's identity.

What defines a memoir compared to a personal essay?

A memoir is longer, is more book-worthy, and focuses on the author's own life experiences.

What unique perspective do diaries provide?

Diaries offer intimate access to a person's thoughts and feelings over time.

What is the difference between an autobiography and a biography?

An autobiography is written by the person themselves, while a biography is written by someone else about that person.

What do autobiographies and biographies have in common?

They both involve the writing of a life, with 'bio' meaning life and 'graph' meaning to write.

Why is writing a biography considered a challenging task?

It requires extensive research to accurately portray another person’s life.

What are non-fiction narratives meant to achieve?

They provide opportunities to tell the true stories of real people and events.

What do shorter non-fiction narratives focus on?

Real people, events, and a central theme or specific ideas.