A brief description of important non-fiction genres. Definitions taken from AP Language and Composition: Crash Course by Dawn Hogue
Terms : Hide Images
| 4692083576 | Allegory | This tells a literal story by using another story, a figurative one, to create ambiguity. | 0 | |
| 4692083577 | Autobiography | An author's story of his or her own life; written in first person. Varies from memoir in that it generally reads less like a novel (as memoirs often do) and more like a chronological account, though there are no rules for either. | 1 | |
| 4692083578 | Biography | An account of someone's life, written by another person. | 2 | |
| 4692083579 | Blog Post (or Weblog Post) | An entry on a personal or professional website called a blog; can be on any topic, from any point of view, and written for various audiences, various purposes. | 3 | |
| 4692083580 | Creative Nonfiction | A relatively new genre, this tells true stories using the tools fiction writers use, such as plot narratives, imagery, dialogue, and more. Topics are diverse, from personal narrative to travelogues, and more. | 4 | |
| 4692083581 | Critique (criticism) | Similar to review, this points out strengths and weaknesses of work (art, literature, speech, performance, etc.). | 5 | |
| 4692083582 | Debate | A spoken event in which participants (two opposing teams) argue a controversial issue using supporting details. | 6 | |
| 4692083583 | Diary (or journal or log) | An account that is kept daily, or almost daily, by an individual to record events of his/her life and to express his/her views. | 7 | |
| 4692083584 | Excerpt | A short portion of a larger text meant to stand on its own. You may be asked to infer the broader context of the piece, such as what genre it was taken from or the identity of the intended audience. | 8 | |
| 4692083585 | Editorial | A short (300-350 words), generally persuasive piece, written by the editor of a newspaper. Traditionally, it expresses the view of the editor or the staff on an issue that is prominent in the news. | 9 | |
| 4692083586 | Eyewitness Account | A first person report (primary source) of an individual who observes an important or significant event. | 10 | |
| 4692083587 | Fable | A narrative meant to teach a lesson in which the characters are sometimes animal representatives or human types or specific human beings, especially used for satirical purposes. | 11 | |
| 4692083588 | History/Historical Commentary | A factual account of an event or period; typically, this account is based on one person's view of the vent, so opinions on the account are based on research, fact, or observation. | 12 | |
| 4692083589 | Homily | A sermon or lecture, generally narrative in style, with a moralizing or didactic purpose. | 13 | |
| 4692083590 | Image | A graph, chart, photograph, or other type of infographic. | 14 | |
| 4692083591 | Letter or epistle | This genre can take many forms, many purposes, and ranges from types such as business to personal correspondence. Although nearly obsolete due to e-mail, these can be viewed as historical documents or even as literary works. | 15 | |
| 4692083592 | Literary Criticism | Beyond a review, writers measure a work of literature against current standards; examples analyze a certain aspect of a work, such as symbolism or irony. Examples from this genre may also address literature through a specific literary theory such as feminist, Freudian, or Marxist. | 16 | |
| 4692083593 | Memoir | A personal narrative that reflects upon one's own life experiences; may be less chronological and encompassing than a typical autobiography. | 17 | |
| 4692083594 | Monologue | One voice, generally first-person, that narrates a train of thought or consciousness on one topic. Typically spoken, as on a stage for an audience. | 18 | |
| 4692083595 | Personal Reminiscence | A first-person account of a particular event in time. | 19 | |
| 4692083596 | Political Cartoon | Generally a satirical one-celled comic, the purpose of which is to point out inadequacies or corruption in the political sphere. | 20 | |
| 4692083597 | Review | Gives the writer's informed opinion about the quality of literary works, movies or other visual media, art, music, even restaurants. Professionals who write in this genre are called critics. | 21 | |
| 4692083598 | Satire | A type of non-fiction in which the writer seeks to improve society by showing its faults through irony and humor, either with a friendly nudge or sharp-edged jabs. | 22 | |
| 4692083599 | Sermon | A speech given by the clergy to a congregation, typically didactic in nature. | 23 | |
| 4692083600 | Social Criticism | Various subgenres (satire, essay, speech, etc.) meant to criticize current social trends, philosophies, standards, mores, etc. | 24 | |
| 4692083601 | Speech | Oral essay, commentary; there is a wide variety of types of speeches. The important distinction is that a speech is spoken to an intended audience, which impacts word choice, etc. | 25 | |
| 4692083602 | Travelogue/Place essay | The setting provides the basis for the essay; the author recognizes and discusses something significant in the environment/setting. | 26 | |
| 4692083603 | Treatise | A formal or systematic exposition (in writing) of the principles of a subject, generally longer and more detailed than an essay. | 27 | |
| 4692083604 | Rhetorical Analysis | A type of analytical essay that explains in detail how rhetorical devices and/or techniques advance the writer's argument. | 28 | |
| 4692083605 | Genre | A word meaning "type" used to categorize the many and diverse types of literature in the non-fiction realm, an area which seems to change daily due to emerging Web tools like Facebook and Twitter. | 29 |
