For the last few weeks, I’ve been discussing
the two nonfiction writing styles—narrative and expository. Many great books
fit snugly into one category or the other, but then there are the outliers.
For example, some nonfiction books that are
expository overall, include narrative sections at the beginning and end.
And when you really think about it, all narrative nonfiction is a combination of narrative scenes that
give readers a bird’s eye view into the people/world being described and
expository bridges that link the scenes. The expository sections provide necessary background while
speeding through parts of the true story that don’t require close inspection.
The art of narrative nonfiction lies in pacing, which means choosing just the
right scenes to flesh out.
of expository passages in narrative writing, I’d like to point out that
expository text also exists in many-a-popular fiction books. A good example is
the following passage from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
the Golden Snitch, and it’s the most important ball of the lot. It’s very hard
to catch because it’s so fast and difficult to see. It’s the Seeker’s job to
catch it.”
“You’ve
got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get
it before the other team’s Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch
wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win . .
. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for
ages.”
reader need to know how Quidditch works, and this expository passage provides all
the information we need.
nonfiction.
to notice that a growing number of nonfiction books contain roughly equal
amounts of narrative and expository text. The author moves seamlessly from one
writing style to the other, creating a blended style that serves the subject
well.
examples. I’d like to add a few more titles to this list, so please let me know
if you can think of some.
The Great Monkey Rescue by Sandra Markle
When Lunch Fights Back by Rebecca L. Johnson
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