Show your understanding of literary and non-literary prose by citing examples and discussing them.

 Q. 1. Show your understanding of literary and non-literary prose by citing examples and discussing them. 450 words.

Ans. There is a classical sense in which literary and non-literary may be distinguished. This distinction is important for those studying Literature. In the context of classical literature studies, literary and non-literary refer to stylistic elements. This is also a distinction important to those wishing to establish careers as literary authors.

     Literary works are those that have significantly complex and detailed literary devices particularly in metaphor and symbolism. Also important are literary elements of chronology and psychological characterization. Metaphor and symbolism are significant and distinguish literary from non-literary because deeper meanings are embedded in the text through these techniques. A text rich in metaphor and symbolism will impart both literal and figurative meanings and will accommodate deeper and more layered themes.

     The element of chronology is significant because the times present, past and future can be used to serve greater purposes than cause and effect, before and after sequencing of events. Chronology can either develop unity or create fragmentation; it can be cohesive or it can disrupt and disturb. Psychological characterization, which makes the character more important than the character’s actions, develops and exposes the mental, cognitive and emotional processes that build or curtail relationships, drive or thwart motivation, bring happiness and luck or despair and anguish.

     In contrast, non-literary refers to texts that are thin on metaphor and symbolism: these texts want to tell a story and to entertain. The thematic elements and issues are simple and easily identifiable, if there are themes rather than simple morals. Chronology is true to life with a few flashbacks for providing back story if needed. Action and events outweigh character development and psychological depth.

     These distinguishing characteristic are applicable, with variations, to fiction and nonfiction. Literary nonfiction may be considered represented by biographies and autobiographies that seek to explore the metaphors and the symbols suggested by real life experience in order to understand universal characteristics of human life. Chronology may be used to explore a wider range of associated events and relationships, while psychological understanding drives the progress and depth of the narrative revealing inner motives, confusion, restlessness etc in order to examine the human condition and the driving forces behind success and failure, happiness and sorrow.

     Simple distinctions provide a starting point. Non-literary texts are found in newspapers, magazines, leaflets, advertisements plus popular fiction and nonfiction genres (informational, mass media texts and everyday text plus spy novels etc and with how-to books etc). Literary texts are novels, short stories, poems. Popular genre nonfiction tends to be non-literary. However, biographies, with their entertaining narratives are literary

     The two types of text tend to use different techniques: consider in particular metaphors and analogies, both of which compare one thing to another. Analogies are used in non-literary texts to make things clearer; hence my surgery’s leaflet described the detached retina as coming away from the wall of the eye in the same way damp wallpaper peels away from a wall. These ties in with one common aim of the non-literary text which is to inform clearly about an unfamiliar topic, like a school text book. Other non-literary text seeks to entertain like a spy novel, adventure or science fiction novel or romance.

    However, non-literary texts are texts whose primary purpose is to convey information and do not have the same narrative and fictional elements as literary texts. Examples of non-literary texts include textbooks, legal documents, and articles in academic journals, recipes, how-to books, and instruction manuals.

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