Notes on Non-Fictional Prose for UGC NET Examination

1. Definition and Characteristics of Non-Fictional Prose

• Non-Fictional Prose: A genre of literature that deals with factual events and real people. Unlike fiction, non-fictional prose is based on reality and actual events.
• Characteristics:
  • Fact-Based: Relies on real events, data, and facts.
  • Informative: Aims to inform, explain, or persuade.
  • Expository Style: Often structured to present a logical argument or explanation.
  • Clarity and Precision: Language is clear and precise to convey information accurately.
  • Variety of Forms: Includes essays, biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, travel writing, journalism, and more.

Notes on Non-Fictional Prose for UGC NET Examination

2. Types of Non-Fictional Prose

• Essays: Short pieces of writing on a particular subject, often presenting the author’s personal views.
• Biographies: Detailed descriptions of a person’s life written by someone else.
• Autobiographies: Accounts of a person’s life written by that person.
• Memoirs: A collection of memories that an individual writes about moments or events, both public or private, that took place in their life.
• Travel Writing: Narratives of journeys and explorations, describing places, cultures, and experiences.
• Journalism: Reporting of current events, news, and issues through various media formats.
• Letters and Diaries: Personal communications and reflections that provide insight into the writer’s thoughts and experiences.
• Speeches: Formal addresses or discourses delivered to an audience.
• Self-Help and Instructional Books: Provide guidance, advice, and instructions on various topics.

Notes on Non-Fictional Prose for UGC NET Examination

3. Historical Development of Non-Fictional Prose

• Classical Antiquity:
  • Philosophical Texts: Works by Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero.
  • Historical Accounts: Herodotus’ Histories, Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War.
• Medieval Period:
  • Religious Writings: Augustine’s Confessions, Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica.
  • Chroniclers: Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
• Renaissance:
  • Essays: Michel de Montaigne’s Essais.
  • Travel Narratives: Marco Polo’s The Travels of Marco Polo.
• 18th Century:
  • Enlightenment Writings: Voltaire’s Candide, Rousseau’s Confessions.
  • Political and Philosophical Texts: John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government, Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France.
• 19th Century:
  • Literary Criticism and Essays: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays, Matthew Arnold’s Culture and Anarchy.
  • Social and Political Commentary: Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto.
• 20th Century:
  • Autobiographies and Memoirs: Mahatma Gandhi’s The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl.
  • Journalism and Reportage: George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia, Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
• Contemporary Non-Fiction:
  • Investigative Journalism: Bob Woodward’s and Carl Bernstein’s All the President’s Men.
  • Cultural and Social Critiques: Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me, Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things to Me.

Notes on Non-Fictional Prose for UGC NET Examination

4. Major Authors and Their Works

• Michel de Montaigne: Essais.
• Samuel Johnson: Lives of the Poets.
• Ralph Waldo Emerson: Self-Reliance.
• Henry David Thoreau: Walden.
• Virginia Woolf: A Room of One’s Own.
• George Orwell: Shooting an Elephant, Why I Write.
• James Baldwin: The Fire Next Time.
• Joan Didion: The White Album, Slouching Towards Bethlehem.
• Maya Angelou: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
• Malcolm X: The Autobiography of Malcolm X (with Alex Haley).
• Hunter S. Thompson: Hell’s Angels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Notes on Non-Fictional Prose for UGC NET Examination

5. Key Concepts in Non-Fictional Prose

• Narrative Voice: The distinctive style and perspective of the author.
• Thesis Statement: The main argument or point the author is making.
• Rhetorical Strategies: Techniques used to persuade or inform the reader, including ethos (credibility), pathos (emotional appeal), and logos (logical argument).
• Expository Techniques: Methods for explaining and clarifying ideas, such as definition, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, and classification.
• Literary Devices: Use of metaphor, simile, imagery, and other devices to enhance the prose.

6. Theoretical Approaches to Non-Fiction

• Formalism: Focuses on the form and structure of the prose.
• Rhetorical Criticism: Analyzes the strategies used to persuade and inform.
• Historical Criticism: Considers the historical context in which the work was written.
• Biographical Criticism: Looks at the author’s life and experiences to understand the text.
• Cultural Criticism: Examines how the text reflects and critiques cultural and societal norms.

Notes on Non-Fictional Prose for UGC NET Examination

7. Reading and Analyzing Non-Fictional Prose

• Close Reading: Careful, detailed interpretation of the text.
• Contextual Analysis: Understanding the broader context—historical, social, political—of the work.
• Critical Thinking: Evaluating the arguments, evidence, and conclusions presented.
• Comparative Analysis: Comparing themes, styles, and perspectives across different works.

8. Significance of Non-Fictional Prose

• Educational Value: Provides knowledge and insights into various subjects.
• Historical Record: Documents and preserves historical events and personal experiences.
• Cultural Reflection: Reflects and critiques societal values and norms.
• Inspiration and Motivation: Inspires readers through personal stories and achievements.

Notes on Non-Fictional Prose for UGC NET Examination