non-fiction narrative writing: biographies, memoirs , and autobiographies
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Non-fiction Narrative Writing: Biographies, Memoirs , and Autobiographies. Important Concepts. Non- fiction can come in many forms: personal narrative, memoir, autobiography, and biography. Everyone has a story to tell. Personal experiences help our foundations for thought and make us unique. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Non-fiction Narrative Writing: Biographies, Memoirs, and
Autobiographies
Non- fiction can come in many forms: personal narrative, memoir, autobiography, and biography.
Everyone has a story to tell. Personal experiences help our foundations for thought and make us unique.
There are different points-of-view
Important Concepts
Writing that tells us about real people, places, and events.
Written to convey factual information Non-fiction is real and can be verified by other
sources Examples of Non-fiction writing:
Newspaper articles Letters Essays Biographies Movie reviews Speeches advertising
Non- Fiction
Review: What is Point of View?
First- Person The narrator:
Is a main or minor character in the story
Uses the pronouns “I” and “me”
Shares his/her personal view of other characters and events.
Doesn’t know the thoughts/ feelings of other characters
Definition: The point from which a
story is told.
Point of View continued
Third- Person Omniscient
The narrator: Is not a character in
the story, but an outside observer, whose observations can be objective, or unbiased.
Is “all knowing”- he or she has access to all thoughts/ feelings and opinions to ALL other characters.
The narrator:* Is not a characters in the story, but an outsideobserver* Zooms in on the thoughts and feelings of one character
Third-Person Limited
Autobiography
Writer is the subject and it’s an account of his/her own life
Written from 1st person point of view and uses pronouns “I” and “me”
Describes the subjects thoughts, feelings, & opinions about his/her life
Based mostly on details from the subject’s own memories
Diary/Journal: Popular form of autobiography
Biography
History of a lifetime – Must cover entire life Most important facts and events of
someone’s life Contains anecdotes, memories, trips and
cherished moments3rd person point of view Written from Information from many sources, but
sometimes includes details provided by the subject.
Personal Narrative
Focus is on a particular event in a person/writer’s life
Written from 1st person point of view Tells a story about real people & events Short, non-fiction work usually dealing with a
single subject
Memoir
Written in 1st person point of view Captures certain highlights or meaningful
moments in one’s past Contemplation of the meaning of that event
at the time of the writing of the memoir Much more emotional and connects the writer
to someone or something that had an impact on their life
Often gives historical information about the society & culture of the time
Characteristics of a MemoirContinued…
Narrative structure (contains storytelling elements like setting, plot, imagery, characterization, foreshadowing/flashback, and symbolism)
Fictional quality
Imagery- Language that uses the five senses to paint a picture in the readers mind.“The afternoon sun penetrated the mass of honeysuckle that
covered the porch and fell on my upturned face.”- from The Story of My
Life by Helen Keller
Simile- Comparing two things using “like” or “as” Metaphor- Comparing two things directly without a
comparison word.“Like a jewel under a bright light, Houdini responded to attention by revealing brilliant new facets.”
- from Spellbinder: The Life of
Harry Houdini by Tom Lalicki
Literary Language and Devices found in Non-fiction Narratives
Now it’s your turn…
Read the following excerpts and decide whether they are from a biography, autobiography or a memoir.
BiographyHow do you know?
Look for clues in the writing, such as point of view
MemoirHow do you know?
How can you tell if it’s a memoir or an autobiography?
Look at the point of viewLook at the title
AutobiographyHow do you know?
Look at the point of view. How can you tell if its an autobiography or a memoir? Look at the title. Based on the title we can infer that
this story willfocus on his whole life and career, not just his childhood
or onespecific part of his life.