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Non-Fiction Genres

Fiction refers to literature created from the imagination. Non-fiction literature is based on fact. There are many different genres of non-fiction.
Illustration: A woman is standing inside an open book. She is holding a flashlight. She is pointing the light down a flight of stairs in the middle of the book.
Non-fiction is literature that is based on facts. Bilde: Oscar Armelles / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
What is a genre?

Genre means a style or category of literature, music, or art. The word comes from French, in which it means 'a type' or 'a kind'.

There are three main genres of non-fiction: expository (meaning “informational”), persuasive (meaning “argumentative”), and descriptive (meaning “illustrative”). Within these genres we find a number of sub-genres.

Examples of genres within expository writing are scientific reports, academic essays and magazine articles. Advertising, political speeches, and letters to the editor are examples of genres within persuasive writing. Fashion spreads, graphic novels and children's illustrations are descriptive genres.

Non-fiction is a broad category of writing. There is far more non-fiction literature than there is fiction.

Biographies

Biographies are books that tell the true story of someone's life.

History

These are books that explain historic events or eras, describe historic places, or explore the lives of several people in history.

Travel guides and travelogues

These are books that offer advice to travellers or that recount the experiences someone has had while travelling.

Academic texts

Academic texts are designed to instruct readers on a particular topic. Examples of academic texts are textbooks, papers written by students, and scientific reports.

Commentary

Commentary offers a personal perspective on events and current issues. Commentary may be serious or humorous.

Guides and how-to manuals

Cookbooks, musical notations, athletic instructions, DIY instructions are examples of this genre.

Self-help books

Self-help books are some of the best-selling non-fiction books. Self-help books offer advice on self-improvement. Topics range from financial issues to mental health. However, we should be aware that some self-help books draw from the author's imagination rather than from any kind of demonstrable scientific fact.

Journalism

Most of us encounter some form of journalism every day. Journalism is writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites, or in preparing news to be broadcast. Journalists work with several different genres such as articles, features, columns, and reviews.

Advertising

Advertising has become more and more ubiquitous. We encounter print advertising, broadcast advertising, or advertising on social media. Advertising is an example of persuasive non-fiction, as the goal of all advertising is to influence our behaviour and our purchasing habits.

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