Book cover is from the original version of the book, now out of print
Explorations in Literary Nonfiction
This book introduces readers to the highly popular (and under-analyzed) genre of literary nonfiction. It looks at eight different genres:
- Travel Writing
- History
- Biography
- Autobiography
- Writing about Nature
- Writing about Culture
- Literary Journalism
- Literary Documentary
For each of these genres, the book sets out
- the history of the genre,
- its typical subject,
- its typical structure,
- the position of the writer in relation to the subject,
- and the story of the story, which addresses the process of this kind of writing.
After each introduction,
- readings are suggested from “classics” in literary nonfiction–historical and more recent works
- writing prompts are offered that would engage readers in the kinds of challenges writers of the genre typically encounter.
An earlier version of this book, published by St. Martins Press in 1989 and now out of print, appeared as Representing Reality: Readings in Literary Nonfiction.
Where to buy
The original version of this book, Representing Reality: Readings in Literary Nonfiction, is out of print, but copies are occasionally available from sellers of used books. John Warnock’s other book on writing, Effective Writing: A Handbook with Stories for Lawyers, is available from these booksellers.