What is literary non-fiction

Alternatively known as "creative nonfiction," "literary journalism," and the "literature of fact," literary nonfiction is that branch of writing which employs literary techniques and artistic vision usually associated with fiction or poetry to report on actual persons, places, or events.

What is literary Non-Fiction?Fiction

Poems, short stories, novels

Entertaining

Plots

Mostly narrative

Range of author’s craft techniques

Literary Non-FictionBiographies, essays, speeches, etc.

Entertaining and Informational

Varied styles and structures

Mixed text

Range of author’s craft techniques

Why is reading Literary non-fiction important?

• Students aren’t given an adequate introduction or practice in this genre in school.

• It is a major genre on the ACT/SAT exams.• A part of life for an informed citizenry.

• Every day, individuals read biographies, political and personal essays, and character sketches in magazines, newspapers, books, and on-line sources

• A part of college and career readiness

• Encountered in history, social science, the humanities, education—nearly every subject matter in which students take coursework.

Purposes for reading literary non-fiction

• To be entertained• To learn information: – More memorable– more metaphorical

• To appreciate an author’s craft

Examples of Strategies• Before Reading

– KWL– Triple Entry Vocabulary Journal– Knowledge Rating Guide– Anticipation Guide

• During Reading– Discussion Web– Say, Show Mean– Annotation – Coding/Comprehension Monitoring

• After Reading– Group Outlining – Structural Analysis– Interactive Word Wall– Summarizing – the Last Lines– Critical Thinking Questions– Style Analysis– Synthesis Speaking and Writing

Example: The falling man

Example: The Falling Man• In the picture, he departs from this earth like an arrow. Although he has not chosen his fate, he

appears to have, in his last instants of life, embraced it. If he were not falling, he might very well be flying. He appears relaxed, hurtling through the air. He appears comfortable in the grip of unimaginable motion. He does not appear intimidated by gravity's divine suction or by what awaits him. His arms are by his side, only slightly outriggered. His left leg is bent at the knee, almost casually. His white shirt, or jacket, or frock, is billowing free of his black pants. His black high-tops are still on his feet. In all the other pictures, the people who did what he did -- who jumped -- appear to be struggling against horrific discrepancies of scale. They are made puny by the backdrop of the towers, which loom like colossi, and then by the event itself. Some of them are shirtless; their shoes fly off as they flail and fall; they look confused, as though trying to swim down the side of a mountain. The man in the picture, by contrast, is perfectly vertical, and so is in accord with the lines of the buildings behind him. He splits them, bisects them: Everything to the left of him in the picture is the North Tower; everything to the right, the South. Though oblivious to the geometric balance he has achieved, he is the essential element in the creation of a new flag, a banner composed entirely of steel bars shining in the sun. Some people who look at the picture see stoicism, willpower, a portrait of resignation; others see something else -- something discordant and therefore terrible: freedom. There is something almost rebellious in the man's posture, as though once faced with the inevitability of death, he decided to get on with it; as though he were a missile, a spear, bent on attaining his own end. He is, fifteen seconds past 9:41 a.m. EST, the moment the picture is taken, in the clutches of pure physics, accelerating at a rate of thirty-two feet per second squared. He will soon be traveling at upwards of 150 miles per hour, and he is upside down. In the picture, he is frozen; in his life outside the frame, he drops and keeps dropping until he disappears.Read more: http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN#ixzz1H0q2Ty3H

• What does this piece say in regards to the essential question: how do we define who we are?

• What stylistic features are in this text that you need to know?

• How is this text structured?• What does this piece say about the author? Why

did he write it? What does he want you to think about the falling man?

Framing the Essential Question

• Look at the man in the photograph. How would you describe his demeanor?

• From the text:– “Some people who look at the picture see

stoicism, willpower, a portrait of resignation; others see something else -- something discordant and therefore terrible: freedom. “• How do you think this man is defining himself?

Other interesting questions to foreground

– On 9/11, many photographs and videos were taken and displayed to the public. Was this a good idea? What might be some benefits and drawbacks?

– Photographers for news outlets often stand on the sidelines and take photographs of tragic situations. What responsibilities are they fulfilling? What responsibilities might they be shirking? What does that say about how photographers define themselves?

Stylistic features

• Descriptive: “His left leg is bent at the knee, almost casually. His white shirt, or jacket, or frock, is billowing free of his black pants. His black high-tops are still on his feet.”

• Metaphorical: “He departs this earth like an arrow.” “They are made puny by the backdrop of the towers, which loom like colossi,”

• The author presents his interpretation: “There is something almost rebellious in the man's posture, as though once faced with the inevitability of death”

Structure

• Comparison/Contrast: This man from others who jumped from the tower

• Interpretation of motives and demeanor Interspersed with factual information (his rate of speed) and physical description (his arms only slightly outriggered)

Discussion Web

Focus question

Reasons

Conclusion

Evidence to support

Evidence against

Strategies—During (and after) Reading: Discussion Web

Reasons for Yes

1. He was exercising his will

Reasons for No

1. He was traveling at a high rate of speed

Should the man have jumped out of

the window?

Our Answer:

Other: Should the photographer have taken the photograph?