Creative Nonfiction - SHS

1
Identifying Elements of the Different Genres

Module 002 – Identifying Elements of the

Different Genres

Last meeting, we looked at the different types of literary genres to make you
better understand the qualities that creative nonfiction can take on. This
week, we are focusing on those elements from different genres that can be
applied to creative nonfiction. We are basically just dissecting the elements
that we had been introduced to last meeting.
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
1. Analyze and interpret the theme and techniques used in a particular text
2. Create samples of the different literary elements based on one’s
experience (e.g. a short fiction using strong dialogue)

Prose form of fiction

Most fiction makes use of the prose form. This is not a requirement. In fact, during the
postmodern movement, quite a few novels went on the avant-garde route. The writers
experimented with not just the content, but also the form. The stories are told backwards.
Sometimes, several time sequences are having all at the same time.

Types of Prose

Casual Dialogue

Dictionary Definition
Journalism

Oration

Philosophical Texts

Most of the above are self-explanatory. However, you may also check their meanings under
the Glossary section.

Good examples of prose in fiction

Most of the world’s literature has been written in prose. There may be differences in terms
of language, diction, and style. The writer may choose to use direct language and clear
dialogue or he/she may opt for a roundabout way of saying things. What does that mean?
Sometimes, writers want to be a little vague with the story due to some intentions to
surprise near the end or to simply be mysterious.
Here are some literary works that serve as good examples of prose in fiction:

Course Module
1. The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
“It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in
half concealing. Her husband's friend Richards was there, too, near her. It was he who had
been in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with
Brently Mallard's name leading the list of "killed." He had only taken the time to assure
himself of its truth by a second telegram, and had hastened to forestall any less careful,
less tender friend in bearing the sad message (Chopin)”.

*The text above could have been revealed, using less graceful language:

Her sister Josephine was the one who told her. Because of the way she broke her
sentences, she revealed some, while still not quite saying everything. Richards, her
husband’s friend, was also present. He was the one who received the news about
Brently Mallard’s being listed under those who have been killed. He verified the source
by waiting for a second telegram. He also made sure that the person who will reveal the
news is a good friend.

I prepared the reworded text. It is passable, but not literarily great like Chopin’s text.
Choice of words and pacing are important in prose.

2. The Doll’s House by Katherine Mansfield

“" O-oh! " The Burnell children sounded as though they were in despair. It was too
marvellous ; it was too much for them. They had never seen anything like it in their lives.
All the rooms were papered. There were pictures on the walls, painted on the paper, with
gold frames complete. Red carpet covered all the floors except the kitchen ; red plush
chairs in the drawing-room, green in the dining-room; tables, beds with real bedclothes, a
cradle, a stove, a dresser with tiny plates and one big jug. But what Kezia liked more than
anything, what she liked frightfully", was the lamp. It stood in the middle of the dining-
room table, an exquisite little amber lamp with a white globe. It was even filled all ready
for lighting, though, of course, you couldn't light it. But there was something inside that
looked like oil and moved when you shook it (Mansfield)”.

*The description of the doll’s house above carries the reader’s internal gaze from the
most obvious to the least, moving from the outside going in. It is the natural way of
looking at things.

3. A Chameleon by Anton Chekhov

“There is the sound of a dog yelping. Otchumyelov looks in the direction of the sound and
sees a dog, hopping on three legs and looking about her, run out of Pitchugin's timber-
yard. A man in a starched cotton shirt, with his waistcoat unbuttoned, is chasing her. He
runs after her, and throwing his body forward falls down and seizes the dog by her hind
legs. Once more there is a yelping and a shout of "Don't let go!" Sleepy countenances are
protruded from the shops, and soon a crowd, which seems to have sprung out of the earth,
is gathered round the timber-yard.
 Creative Nonfiction - SHS
3
Identifying Elements of the Different Genres

*There are details that make things more vivid. For example, the man does not have to
have his waistcoat unbuttoned. However, it slyly suggests that he is ready to get down
and dirty. He is ready to chase that dog.

Good examples of prose in nonfiction

Here are some examples of good creative nonfiction prose:

1. Death of a Soldier by Louisa May Alcott

https://www.thoughtco.com/death-of-a-soldier-by-alcott-1690013

“A few minutes later, as I came in again, with fresh rollers, I saw John, sitting erect, with
no one to support him, while the surgeon dressed his back. I had never hitherto seen it
done; for, having simpler wounds to attend to, and knowing the fidelity of the attendant,
I had left John to him, thinking it might be more agreeable and safe; for both strength
and experience were needed in his case. I had forgotten that the strong man might long
for the gentle tendance of a woman's hands, the sympathetic magnetism of a woman's
presence, as well as the feebler souls about him”.

2. Excerpt from Joan Didion’s “The Year of Magical Thinking”

“The way I write is who I am, or have become, yet this is a case in which I wish I had
instead of words and their rhythms a cutting room, equipped with an Avid, a digital
editing system on which I could touch a key and collapse the sequence of time, show
you simultaneously all the frames of memory that come to me now, let you pick the
takes, the marginally different expressions, the variant readings of the same lines.
(Didion, 2007)”

As you can see, the creative nonfiction takes on a similar form as fiction. The only
difference is in the content. Creative nonfiction is all about what truly happened or at
least how a person interpreted an event that happened in his or her life.

Strong Dialogue
Whether the literary genre in question is fiction or drama, strong dialogue is vital.
However, it is obvious that it is more important in a play setting, wherein the story is
being told through conversations and gestures.

In nonfiction, based on Death of a Soldier by Louisa May Alcott (see above), here is an
excerpt of some dialogue:

Never, on any human countenance, have I seen so swift and beautiful a look of
gratitude, surprise and comfort, as that which answered me more eloquently than the
whispered--
"Thank you, ma'am, this is right good! This is what I wanted!"

Course Module
 "Then why not ask for it before?"
"I didn't like to be a trouble; you seemed so busy, and I could manage to get on alone."
"You shall not want it any more, John."

Even popular fiction boasts of some authors who can write good dialogue.
This is from Judy Blume’s “Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret”

Nancy spoke to me as if she were my mother. 'Margaret dear--you can't possibly

Miss Laura Danker. The big blonde with the big you know whats!'

'Oh, I noticed her right off,' I said. 'She's very pretty.'

'Pretty!' Nancy snorted. 'You be smart and stay away from her. She's got a bad
reputation.'

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'My brother said she goes behind the A&P with him and Moose.'

'And,' Janie added, 'she's been wearing a bra since fourth grade and I bet she gets
her period.'

Published in 1970, it still resonates with teenagers today, although this is partly due
to the fact that it was bold enough to discuss political and sexual matters during its
era.

Descriptive diction/precision
Choice of words has already been demonstrated under fiction. However, it does help
to reiterate its advantages. Not only should the text not be wordy, but the text should
also be as precise as possible. Literary fiction works are more geared towards this
precision, though popular may instead veer towards more regular reader friendly
diction. For example, online texts or articles tend to use simpler terms or phrases.
There is a more conversational tone. This is because people reading articles from the
net are usually are in a hurry. Compare this to literary works of both fiction and
nonfiction. The words can get poetic sometimes, but more likely it will just command
a more precise turn. It is also important to take note that there are popular blogs that
also make use of precise diction. (Check the sentence before this. The phrase “make
use” is not very precise, but it is often used on the net. “Utilize”, “incorporate” and
more specific words may be used to create a greater idea as to how whatever it is will
be used.

There are some blogs that utilize precise language:

“Blanchot cites Kafka's comment that he has entered literature when he replaces 'I'
with 'He', but adds that this metamorphosis is more profound: In doing this, the writer
belongs to a language which no one speaks, which is addressed to no one, which has no
center, and which reveals nothing. Mastery over words puts the writer in contact with a
 Creative Nonfiction - SHS
5
Identifying Elements of the Different Genres

fundamental passivity that cannot be grasped: To write is to make oneself the echo of
what cannot cease speaking. Instead, in a stirring paradox, mastery consists in the
power to stop writing, to interrupt what is being written. This is a curious formulation.
When we admire the tone of a particular writer, he says, it is not the writer's voice we
admire but the intimacy of the silence he imposes on the word. He compares this to
classicism in which the calm of the regular form guarantees a language free from
idiosyncrasy, where impersonal generality speaks and secures the writer a relation
with truth. But such calm requires the stability of an aristocratic society in which a part
of society concentrates the whole within itself by isolating itself well above what
sustains it. We might say that genre fiction is an aristocratic form”.
From: http://this-space.blogspot.co.uk/
The underlined words in bold are just some of the precise words that have been
incorporated into the paragraph.

Conclusion
From what we can now see, creative nonfiction does not differ much from fiction in its
format. It usually favors prose, although it can take poetic form, as well. There is no rule
against that. However, it is the content – its basis on facts – that separates it from fiction. It
may also borrow the precision of poetry and the strong dialogue of drama to create
compelling scenes.

Glossary
Avant-garde: use of experimental styles to tell stories.
Casual dialogue: conversations that you would normally hear in real life
Journalism: writing for newspapers or magazines
Oration: formal recitation of literary text
Philosophical: devoted to or associated with the close study of knowledge, existence,
and other topics that are considered “deep”.

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals

Lopate, P. (2013). To Show and to Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction. Wilmington:
University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

Genre Characteristics Chart;
http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfder/GenreCharacteristicsChart.pdf; 26th July 2017

Course Module
Elements of Story or Fiction;
http://www.homeofbob.com/literature/genre/fiction/ficElmnts.html;26th July 2017
Elements of Literature; http://mshogue.com/ce9/Gen_Info/elements_of_literature.htm;
26th July 2017

Online Instructional Videos

Elements of Literary Genres; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLBUDqVbuAo; 26th
July 2017
What are the three genres of literature?;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NztspBO2U2I; 26th July 2017
What is genre?; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuZ1edldKnk; 26th July 2017