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Literature

Difference between Literary text

and non-literary text/types

Ahmad Javed • Oct o ber 4, 2023 0  23,728

Literary text and non-
literary text
A lit erary t ext is an art ist ic, original and subject ive work t hat makes
use of rhet orical resources, has a poet ic funct ion and lacks a pract ical
purpose. T his t ype of t ext does not have a defined audience and is
connot at ive, ambiguous and polysemic, so it s int erpret at ion t ends t o
be open. D if fe re nc e be t we e n Lit e ra r y t e xt a nd non-lit e ra r y t e xt

A non-lit erary t ext is a t ext t hat has a referent ial funct ion , has a
specific purpose, is aimed at a specific audience and is object ive. T his
t ype of t ext avoids ambiguit y and t he use of rhet orical resources,
connect ing t he audience wit h a realit y ext ernal t o t he t ext it self.
 LIT ERARY T EXT NON-LIT ERARY T EXT

It is a t ext t hat has a

It is an art ist ic and
referent ial funct ion and
original work t hat has
makes use of denot at ive
a poet ic or aest het ic
language, in order t o
Definit ion funct ion, wit h a
inform about a mat t er, t o
polysemic charact er
persuade or direct t he
and lacks any
conduct of a specific
pract ical purpose.
audience.

Language
Poet ic or aest het ic. Referent ial.
funct ion

Charact erist ics Subject ive and Object ive and

connot at ive denot at ive (what is
(what is writ t en writ t en refers t o
has a part icular realit y and is not
meaning for each freely int erpret able).
person). It has a pract ical
Ambiguous and purpose.
polysemic (it has Your audience is
more t han one defined.
meaning).
It may not be an
It lacks a original work.
pragmat ic
It is referent ial and it s
purpose.
message is more
It is not aimed at import ant t han any
a specific poet ic sense.
audience.
It s cont ent is based
It is original and on realit y.
fict ional, even if
It s object ive is t o
it is based on real
inform, inst ruct , or
event s.
direct people’s
behavior.
 LIT ERARY T EXT NON-LIT ERARY T EXT

It is self- Valid wit hin a specific

referent ial, it cont ext .
present s
complet e worlds
in t hemselves.

Use rhet orical

resources t o
express and
provoke emot ion.

T here is no
defined or
part icular
audience.

It becomes long-
lived and can be
accessed in
different
cont ext s.

Conferences, journalist ic
Odes, st ories, not es, manuals and
Christ mas carols, inst ruct ions, legal
plays, novels, songs, document s, dissert at ions,
Examples
fables, hors d’oeuvres academic art icles,
and sacrament al cars, philosophical t ext s, opinion
among ot hers. art icles and advert ising
messages, among ot hers.

What is a literary text? Dif f e re nce be t we e n Lit e rary t e xt

and no n-lit e rary t e xt

A lit erary t ext is t hat original work, generally writ t en, t hat makes use of
rhet orical element s t hat provoke a react ion in t he reader, has a poet ic
or aest het ic funct ion and has no pract ical purpose .
It is ambiguous and polysemic (it has more t han one meaning), so it
can be int erpret ed in many ways. It uses rhet orical resources t o
express t he subject ivit y of t he aut hor and obt ain t he part icipat ion of
t he reader. It is self-referent ial , which means t hat it is a complet e
work in it self.

T his t ype of t ext is charact erized by being an original creat ion. Even if
it is inspired by real event s or people, or describes a physical and
verifiable realit y, each work claims t o be a unique creat ion.

In t he case of t he narrat or of t he st ory, t his is t he voice t hat t ells t he

event s. In most cases you are separat ed from t he aut hor, even if you
can represent t heir point of view.

T he language he uses is primarily connot at ive (t he words have a

personal meaning, bot h for t he aut hor and for t he reader), usually
charged wit h emot ion and subject ivit y.

Furt hermore, it is not limit ed t o t he part icular t ime and space of it s

creat ion. As an art ist ic work, t he lit erary t ext has t he capacit y t o be
long-lived and read by a wide variet y of audiences in many places and
t imes.
Characteristics of the literary text
T he lit erary t ext is ambiguous, so it is common for it t o have
different int erpret at ions.

It is polysemic, and acquires new meanings wit h each reading.

It does not have a pragmat ic purpose or a specific object ive, even

t hough whoever produces it may have a specific int ent ion.

It is not direct ed at a specific audience.

It s funct ion is aest het ic or poet ic.

It makes use of rhet orical and st ylist ic resources t o fulfill it s

aest het ic funct ion: onomat opoeia, hyperbole, met aphors, similes,
allit erat ion, et c.

It is common t hat t he present language is not used in everyday

life, due t o it s polysemic and rhet orical nat ure.

It present s a fict ional and self-referent ial world full of det ails
(even when it is based on realit y).

It has a connot at ive charact er, since it is an art ist ic work creat ed
from t he subject ive point of view of t he aut hor.

It is an original creat ion. D if fe re nc e be t we e n Lit e ra r y t e xt a nd non-lit e ra r y t e xt

Function of the literary text

It s main funct ion is poet ic or aest het ic, so rhet orical figures are used
t o provoke some feeling or react ion in t he receiver. T hat is, t he lit erary
t ext does not have a referent ial funct ion, as is t he case wit h t he non-
lit erary t ext .

T he world creat ed wit hin t he t ext is a whole in it self. In t his way, t his
t ype of t ext is not subordinat e t o an informat ive funct ion, even if it
communicat es somet hing about ext ernal realit y (as in det ailed and
highly descript ive realist ic or nat uralist ic novels).

Relationship between sender and receiver in the literary

text
T he relat ionship bet ween t he aut hor and t he reader is deferred. T he
reader is not able t o respond t o t he aut hor direct ly. For example, during
t he process of creat ing t he t ext , t he aut hor finds himself est ranged
from t he audience. It is not possible t o respond t o t he message t hat is
t ransmit t ed t hrough t he t ext wit hout modifying it (which would creat e
a new work).

T he reader is not defined , he is not a concret e person. T he t ext is

open t o be read by an audience t hat can go beyond t hat t o which t he
aut hor originally int ended t o address. T his implies t hat your audience
is not easily quant ifiable or ident ifiable.

However, t he reader part icipat es in a communicat ive act , accept ing

t he subject ivit y of t he t ext and it s lack of referent ialit y. D if fe re nc e
be t we e n Lit e ra r y t e xt a nd non-lit e ra r y t e xt

Fictional character of the literary text Dif f e re nce be t we e n Lit e rary

t e xt and no n-lit e rary t e xt

T he lit erary t ext is a fict ion , so it does not pret end t o be a real
represent at ion of t he fact s. However, different t ypes of t ext s can be
int erpret ed as lit erary t ext s, even if t hey were not writ t en wit h t hat
int ent ion.

In any case, bot h aut hor and reader (generally) are aware of t he
fict ional nat ure of t he lit erary t ext , which is int ended t o be a complet e
world unt o it self. T hat is t o say, what t he t ext offers is not hing more
t han a subject ive creat ion of t he aut hor, it is not a ret elling of fact s
from t he real world.

Absence of purpose in the literary text

T he lit erary t ext has no specific purpose . T here may be an int ent ion
behind t he product ion of t he t ext , for example, moral or educat ional,
but it is not one of it s defining charact erist ics. D if fe re nc e be t we e n Lit e ra r y
t e xt a nd non-lit e ra r y t e xt
Genres of the literary text Dif f e re nce be t we e n Lit e rary t e xt and no n-

lit e rary t e xt

Lit erary t ext s can be classified according t o t he form t hey t ake, t he

funct ion t hat t he aut hor want s t hem t o have, t he symbolic and
semant ic cont ent , among ot her peculiarit ies t hat different iat e t hem
from each ot her. T hree major lit erary genres are generally considered:
lyrical, narrat ive, and dramat ic. T hese t ext s have primarily an
aest het ic or poet ic funct ion, however, t hey make use of ot her
funct ions, due t o t he form and cont ent t hey present . D if fe re nc e be t we e n
Lit e ra r y t e xt a nd non-lit e ra r y t e xt

EPIC OR
LYRICAL DRAMAT IC
NARRAT IVE

Generally shows T he aut hor T he charact ers in

t he subject ivit y int roduces a t he play are t he
of t he aut hor, narrat or who is ones who speak
Aut hor
expressing a in charge of and perform t he
high level of t elling t he act ions in t he
emot ion. st ory. st ory.

Principal Appellat e or
Expressive Referent ial.
funct ion conat ive.

Tragedy, comedy,
Poet ry, ode,
drama,
elegy, epist le, Short st ory,
t ragicomedy,
eclogue, novel, epic,
Subgenres melodrama, hors
epigram, fable and
d’oeuvre, aut o
Christ mas carol, ot hers.
sacrament al, and
song and ot hers.
ot hers.

What is a non-literary text?

A non-lit erary t ext is one t hat has a referent ial or informat ive
funct ion , a specific purpose, has an object ive charact er and makes
use of denot at ive language.
T his t ype of t ext does not make use of rhet orical resources, which are
used in lit erary t ext s t o express t he subject ivit y of t he aut hor. It is at
t he service of a specific purpose and designed for specific
audiences. T he informat ion t hey communicat e is ext ernal t o t he t ext
it self.

Characteristics
T hey have a referent ial or informat ive funct ion.

It s cont ent is not fict ional.

T hey depend on a cont ext .

T hey are writ t en seeking object ivit y.

T hey have a specific audience.

T hey have a part icular purpose.

T he message t akes precedence over any poet ic sense.

T he language used is denot at ive, which makes t hem

unambiguous.

Function of non-literary text

It is referent ial, so in t his kind of t ext t he message refers t o somet hing
ext ernal. T he sender t ries t o fulfill a purpose wit h his product ion, while
t he receiver want s t o obt ain informat ion or knowledge about
somet hing specific.

In t he same way, t he t ransmission of t he message is one of it s most

import ant object ives . What it communicat es can be a fact , a process,
norms, descript ion of an object or person, et c. For example, an aut o
mechanic manual refers t o t he process of repairing cars. D if fe re nc e
be t we e n Lit e ra r y t e xt a nd non-lit e ra r y t e xt

T his implies t hat t he non-lit erary t ext must be object ive , so it is

expect ed t hat it is not ambiguous and t hat it lacks t he polysemic
densit y of t he lit erary t ext . T hat is, it is a denot at ive t ext (what is
writ t en refers t o realit y), what is writ t en in it , generally, does not leave
room for free int erpret at ion.
However, whoever produces a non-lit erary t ext can use element s of
lit erary t ext s t o communicat e a message or t ransmit informat ion. For
example, rhet orical devices can be used when describing or narrat ing a
news event in a newspaper. In t his case, t he reader may find a cert ain
lit erary charact er t hat leads him t o feel empat hy or react adversely t o
what is communicat ed.

Relationship between sender and receiver in non-literary

text
Depending on t he t ype of t ext and it s purpose, t he relat ionship
bet ween sender and receiver varies. T he audience is defined from t he
moment it is going t o be produced.

In academic or scient ific t ext s, for example, t he person who produces

t he t ext is a person wit h some level of specializat ion in an area of ​
knowledge. T he receiver or audience of t his t ype of t ext is expect ed t o
be able t o underst and t he t echnicalit ies of t he t ext , in order t o reduce
any ambiguit y.

In ot her cases, if it is an exposit ory t ext , t he aut hor may have t he

object ive of informing t he receiver about some t opic or event . In t he
case of normat ive t ext s, whoever issues t hem int ends t hat t he
audience not only be informed about a part icular mat t er, but also act
in a cert ain way. D if fe re nc e be t we e n Lit e ra r y t e xt a nd non-lit e ra r y t e xt

Purpose of the non-literary text

Non-lit erary t ext s have a part icular purpose . T he purpose may vary
depending on t he informat ion t o which t hey refer and t he nat ure of t he
t ext . T hey can be t ext s t hat are int ended t o t ransmit knowledge about
a scient ific t opic, educat e, or communicat e norms and rules, among
ot hers.

T he end is also dict at ed by t he audience t o which t hese t ext s are

direct ed. If it is advert ising copy, generally, your ideal audience is
delimit ed first , and t hen t he t ext is elaborat ed. In t he same way, if it is
an academic t ext , t he t echnical cont ent of your vocabulary already
considers your ideal audience.
Types of non-literary texts Dif f e re nce be t we e n Lit e rary t e xt and no n-
lit e rary t e xt

Non-lit erary t ext s can be classified according t o t heir purpose. T hese

can have t he object ive of disclosing informat ion, explaining an issue,
communicat ing t he result s of an invest igat ion or making known how a
person act s. Even t hough t hese t ext s share t he funct ion of t he
referent ial language, it is possible t hat t hey have ot her funct ions
according t o t heir specific purposes.

EXPOSIT ORY OR NORMAT IVE OR ACADEMIC OR

ARG
INFORMAT IVE INST RUCT IVE SCIENT IST

Expr
Inform and
com
provide
Inform and Communicat e or poin
direct ions or
facilit at e disseminat e opin
object ive orders about
underst anding of a knowledge on a int en
how someone
t opic. specific mat t er. pers
should act in a
conv
specific cont ext .
som

Main language
Referent ial. Appellat e. Referent ial. Appe
funct ion

Charact erist ics Impersonal, Produced Usually

use of t he wit hin an produced in an
t hird person. inst it ut ional inst it ut ional

Simple and framework. set t ing.

organized Formalit y Int ert ext ualit y

st ruct ure. and and reference

Object ivit y. t echnical t o ot her t ext s.

vocabulary. Specific
It proposes t o
disclose, Clear and recept or.

expose or succinct . Formalit y and

report any Object ivit y. specialized and
t opic Focused on t echnical

May present t he vocabulary.

t echnical or receiver. Organized

specialized Regulat es st ruct ure.
vocabulary. behavior in Communicat e
a cert ain result s or a
cont ext . st at e of t he
art .
 EXPOSIT ORY OR NORMAT IVE OR ACADEMIC OR
ARG
INFORMAT IVE INST RUCT IVE SCIENT IST

It can present Linear or Comprehensive

charact erist ics st ep and
of lit erary st ruct ure. met hodological.
t ext s.

Cooking recipes,
Dissert at ions,
inst ruct ions, Spee
t heses, academic
manuals, philo
Lect ures, report s, art icles,
legislat ive and t ext
news, essays, encyclopedic
Examples legal opin
biographies, and ent ries,
document s, adve
ot hers. monographs,
polit ical mes
scient ific essays,
const it ut ion, ot he
and ot hers.
and ot hers.

D if fe re nc e be t we e n Lit e ra r y t e xt a nd non-lit e ra r y t e xt