NON-LITERARY TEXTS –

CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES AND

EXAMPLES
Non-literary texts, in other posts we have talked about other types of text such as
narrative text . Now let's learn about those that are not clearly literary . That is, those
whose structure does not seem to be recognizable among literary genres. We will
learn about its characteristics, the types of non-literary texts and we will see some
examples.

WHAT ARE NON-LITERARY TEXTS

Although it may seem like a truism, non-literary texts are those that are not literary.
To establish the universe in which we move, we will first define what is a literary
text? . Literary texts are those in which their poetic function is manifested as the
 main one. This poetic function can be evident, as in the case of poetry, or serve
other interests as in didactic or historical texts .
Therefore, to determine that a text is non-literary we only have to evaluate whether
the main function of language is poetics. If it is not, we will find a non-literary text.
TYPES OF NON-LITERARY TEXTS

The types of non-literary texts that we can find are the following:
 Scientists
 Administrative
 Journalistic
 Humanistic
 Advertising
 Digital

SCIENTIFIC TEXTS
 Scientific texts are texts generated by the scientific community. These are intended
to announce some type of discovery or make public some type of advance in science.
Within this type of texts we can find:
 doctoral thesis
 Bachelor's reports
 Scientific articles
 Scientific monographs

ADMINISTRATIVE TEXTS
Administrative texts are the documents used for written communication between the
Administration and citizens. In them we will find the so-called administrative-legal
language , they are used to establish relationships with citizens.
The types of administrative texts can be from the Administration to the Citizen , such
as:
 Informative : Circulars, letter, email
 Resolutions : Summons, summons, notifications, requirements, summons,
proceedings, sentences, resources, edicts, orders
 Regulatory : Law, decree, regulation, order
 Notaries : Minutes, memory, certification.
From the Citizen to the Administration :
 Requests
 Complaints
 Waivers
 Resource
 Claim

From Administration to Administration :

 Report
 Job

From Citizen to Citizen :

 Contract
JOURNALIST TEXTS
 Journalistic texts are messages that are usually transmitted through the media. They
are informative texts on which the written press is traditionally based. These texts are
characterized by their relevance, interest and a principle of objectivity. Journalistic
texts are called news and can be classified as Informative Genre and Opinion Genre.
 The informative genres are news and objective reports, these being the latest
developed news.

 The genres of opinion are interpretive, that is, it is the assessment of current events,
as interpreted by the editor. A personal opinion or interpretation of current news.
HUMANISTIC TEXTS
Humanistic Texts are called texts that have to do with topics related to the study of
man or his activities. These can be socioeconomic, artistic, cultural, philosophical,
sociological, anthropological or historical.
ADVERTISING TEXTS

Advertising texts are a special type of text. Their function is to convince potential
customers to buy a certain consumer item.
These texts try to catch potential readers and then convince them of the benefits of a
certain product. The resources used to catch readers are graphic in nature, the
combination of words, the use of slogans and variation of fonts.
DIGITAL TEXTS

Digital texts are those that are developed and written in blogs, websites, and digital
and online content. Digital texts can be of various types, covering literary and non-
literary texts. Likewise, they have given rise to specific texts for this medium, such as
landing pages or posts.

HOW TO ANALYZE A NON-LITERARY TEXT

When we must analyze or comment on a non-literary text, we can follow a type of
script. It will be necessary to meet some basic characteristics of coherence, cohesion
and adequacy.
 In the case of adaptation, specific points must be analyzed, such as, for example:
 Type of text: in this case we must say what type of text we are finding if it is an
expository, argumentative, etc. type of text.

 Layout: The layout of the text is important because this section consists of describing
what the text is physically like in terms of the number of paragraphs, lines, whether
there are titles, bibliographical notes, etc.

 Typographic resources: Here we are going to determine the size of the typography,
both in the title and in the rest of the paragraphs. It will also be determined if there are
bold, underlined, italic, etc.

 Registration: In this case it is necessary to determine whether it is a formal or

informal registration, for which you may ask yourself who is the author or sender, who
is the recipient or recipient.
For consistency :
 Informative core: In this case, the main and secondary ideas in the text are
developed.

 Progression of information: This section indicates whether the information advances

in a logical and orderly manner.

 Credible information: If the information is from the real world, it must be determined
that it is credible information so that whoever reads the analysis understands it.
Regarding cohesion in the analysis of a non-literary text, we must take into account
tells the following:
 Lexical procedures: When there is a repetition of words or when there is a semantic
repetition of synonyms or antonyms.
 Grammatical procedures: anaphors, cataphoras, ellipses or similar that exist in the
text must be marked.
As you can see, this is not a simple type of analysis but many issues must be taken
into account. These factors will be necessary so that you can carry out a complete
analysis, where you will not only see the type of text that is inside but also how it is
written.

EXAMPLES OF NON-LITERARY TEXTS

In this section we show you some examples of non-literary texts, although you can find
many more:

NEWS
The news is a non-literary text that tells a reality that happens in a place at a certain
time. The news must answer the questions what, who, when, how, where and why.
The author does not include adjectives or personal evaluations or rhetorical figures.
CHRONICLE
It is the narration of a story determined in time . It can be the chronicle of an entire
country, or of a soccer match. The chronicle is much more flexible than the news,
allowing the inclusion of much more informal language and the use of adjectives that
add strength to the text and emphasize certain moments. Ex: chronicle of a death
foretold .
COMMENT
It is a non-literary text that consists of a written appreciation about something
specific , it can be a comment on another text, on an oral speech, etc. It is usually a
brief and direct assessment, of a critical nature.
EDITORIAL
It is a text that is used in the written press to show the vision, values and position of
the medium itself. This text includes opinions and particular evaluations. The editorial
is always linked to current affairs, and does not have a narrative structure. It is a text
that mixes analysis and opinion, but it would never be a literary text, which is why we
know that there are types of editorials .

EXPOSITIVE TEXT
The expository text seeks to narrate facts or concepts in an objective way to an
audience that knows little or nothing about the subject. For example, an expository text
would be Power Points shown in a lecture, textbooks, etc.

INFORMATION TEXT
The informative text seeks to explain something in a simple way , without any
added resources. An informative text can be, for example, information about the tides
on a beach. They offer information about a current event in an objective way. It merges
on many occasions with the expository text.
BIOGRAPHY
It focuses on highlighting the life and events of a third person, through the experiences
recounted by that same person or information collected through other nearby sources.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY
The autobiography is similar to the biography, except that in this case it is written by
the person themselves, that is, it is not necessary to go to any source.

MANUALS

A manual is a text that explains the operation of something , it may be the manual
for an appliance, the technical manual for a vehicle or a behavior manual for
employees. It focuses on helping the user and indicating the steps to follow, that is, it
is a kind of guide. It usually has language between formal and technical, depending on
the type of manual.

CRITICISM
It is a non-literary text that judges subjectively, that is, according to the author's own
perspective, some other work of any type: painting, cinema, music, etc.

NON-LITERARY TEXTS | BIOGRAPHIES

Benjamin Franklin once said, " If you don't want to be lost to oblivion as soon as you
are dead and corrupt, write things worth reading, or do things worth writing ." It has
always been said that the best way not to die is to remain forever in everyone's
memory. Even when these people don't even know you or are from another era. That
is to say, the best way to be eternal is to go down in history.
Now, how is this done? Many people have the Law of life not to go through this world
without something that makes them stand out. The idea of leaving the world a little
better than it was before they came to it.

These people are usually activists, inventors, scientists or public figures.

Fundamentally, they will be people who seek to be an example for others. Show that
good decisions and knowing how to let yourself go through life are the keys to having a
good story. Others become famous by mistake, or for what they would not have
anything to stand out for.
There is nothing worse for a scientist than going down in history for any reason other
than scientific. That is, for vanity acts instead of recognizing his name or face, if
recognizable, for any important discovery.

However, for many characters that have occurred throughout history, the important
thing has always been to be part of it, for whatever reason. But Franklin tells us that if
we really want to go down in history, we must lead an exciting life, or do important
things. So much so that someone feels the need to tell your life, tell what you did or
how you lived. And of course, that what you have done is such that the rest of the
world wants to know about you .
MALALA BIOGRAPHIES

One of those biographies worth writing and reading is that of Malala Yousafzai.
About three years ago, this biography could be found in all bookstores in many
countries, his face and his story occupied the windows, his words and actions
encouraged and helped many other people in their fight against terrorism.
Malala defended in her story that education is the best weapon to fight against fear
, that educating children would be the first step to ending terrorism. It is true that
sometimes an attack cannot be avoided, neither against a country or city, nor against
oneself individually. It is possible to prevent those people who promote violence,
hatred and fear, little by little, from coming to nothing. Education is power. Malala
knows it and it is reflected in her biography.