Non-Fiction and Fictitious works of literature both serve a similar purpose, which is to teach something, whether it be a lesson or a fact. They can both contain a setting, characters, and a plot and both types of writing can contain real people, events, or places. So, it’s safe to say they are comparable, but they also do different things. Works of fiction come directly from the authors imagination and are a product of make believe. Fiction tells a story through characters and a fictitious plot and is aimed to entertain and also sometimes teach a lesson. Examples of works of fictions are short stories and novels. Works of fiction aim at broadening our imagination and thinking process. When we read fiction, our minds are open to new possibilities and ideas that help us analyze and experience life through the perspective of others. Nonfiction is all about factual data. This type of literature is based on facts and is informative about real people, places, things, and events. While fiction comes from the authors imagination, with nonfiction, what’s important is the research and analysis done by the author to write the work of nonfiction. Examples of nonfiction works of literature include newspapers, biographies, autobiographies, textbooks, interviews, essays, and encyclopedias. When compared to nonfiction, fiction has a more diverse variety of genres while nonfiction genres are limited to only a handful. Nonfiction engages the reader by informing them on real things or expressing to them ideas and thoughts.
The fictitious works in the readings such as the short story “The South Lingers On” or the poem “The Tropics In New York” express experience of those individuals the book is attempting to portray through a creative technique. The fictive works depict the image of the new negro better than the nonfiction works because they are a product of black creators’ creativity and imagination. The nonfiction works of literature are also impactful, as they use information and data to tell their stories and to depict the new negro.
Poetry is much like any form of imaginative literary artwork, much like short stories or fables. The purpose it is supposed to serve is to strengthen our brains, give us room for self-reflection, and to trigger our emotions. Poem’s area product of a creative mind behind the pen. Data on the other hand serves a different purpose. Data is information where there is a clear context and meaning. Information that is meant to become knowledge through experience to the reader. The readers then use this gathered information to confirm something they know, to predict what may happen, or to develop solutions to problems.
I personally prefer nonfiction works of literature rather than fiction, because I prefer to read to educate myself rather than entertain myself. Nonfiction works of literature offer real data and factual information that can help the reader in some way rather than what fiction does which is amuse and humor them. For example, I prefer reading about how to invest rather than read a fictive story about an investor.
Citation:
Fisher, Rudolf. 1925. “The South Lingers On”. Retrieved February 20th, 2022.
McKay Claude. 1922. “The Tropics in New York”. Retrieved February 20th, 2022
Yale University Library. https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/17368696