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Readings: Unit Two

Creative Nonfiction Readings

 

“We write to make sense of it all.”
— Toni Morrison
 

This is your first “Readings” lesson in Introduction to Literature. Throughout the course, each unit will begin with an introductory briefing and the official course readings for that unit.

There will typically be an introduction to the literary genre — Creative Nonfiction, Fictional Short Story, Poetry, Drama, and Novel — which follows, below. Later in the course, these introductions will address approaches to literary interpretation and several thematic dichotomies we’ll use to examine the different readings for the major and final essays.

Select your readings as directed in each Readings lesson.

Each specific work may also be described. If you are considering using one of those works for your essays, you may want to follow the “Learn More” links to gain further context.

Important information links, labeled as “Other Readings,” will offer context on the literary genre itself and other issues pertaining to the course, often via links to the Purdue OWL online textbook and similar sources.

Please remember that you must take detailed notes on the videos and readings since submitting them for credit is an important part of the course. Your notes should help you to refer back and remember each of the many readings in the course, as described in the later unit.

 

Introduction to the Literary Genre, Creative Nonfiction

Creative Nonfiction is the newest literary genre we’ll be studying in the course. It is also, perhaps, the style of writing you are most familiar with since contemporary magazines, bloggers, and other online writers frequently use it. (You may remember that nonfiction is real, actual, and true to life, while fiction is imaginary. In other words, “F” means “fake” and “NF” means “not fake.”)

Although its roots can be traced back earlier, creative nonfiction — also known as “literary nonfiction” or as part of “New Journalism” — emerged as a separate literary genre and gained recognition and popularity in the 1960s and 1970s. It is a distinct genre that blends elements of fiction and nonfiction, often focusing on personal narratives, memoirs, and a wide variety of essays.

The new genre often took what perhaps was meant to be basic, news and feature reporting and elevated it to a higher level, employing literary devices and techniques. These include using specific, sensory details and often employing subtle persuasive appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos to offer more than just informational reporting. This is precisely what happened when Talese showed up to write a profile of Sinatra — who didn’t want to be interviewed. So, the writer described the famous singer’s lifestyle and milieu, instead.

 

Introduction to the Readings

Gay Talese’s “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” is often considered a landmark piece of creative nonfiction and is regarded as a significant contribution to the development and popularization of creative nonfiction. Published in 1966 in Esquire magazine, it exemplifies the immersive and narrative style of creative nonfiction. It offers an intimate and detailed portrait of Frank Sinatra’s life and the surrounding events, combining journalistic reporting with a literary approach. It is regarded as one of the most famous pieces of magazine journalism ever written, and one of the greatest celebrity profiles ever written. (Learn more here.)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” after he was arrested and detained while peacefully campaigning for the removal of  “Whites Only” restrictions in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, and subjected to unusually harsh conditions. It was written in response to a newspaper’s publication of an open letter, written by several white clergymen, titled “A Call for Unity,” which is only remembered now for King’s response. King’s letter, largely written on smuggled scraps of paper, is “one of the most important historical documents penned by a modern political prisoner” and the most important declaration and defense of civil disobedience in US history. (Learn more here.)

The wildly successful author, Malcolm Gladwell, wrote his “True Colors” article on the history of hair dye — and, importantly, how it relates to feminism — for The New Yorker magazine in 1999. It is a well-regarded example of how creative nonfiction often elevates fact-based reporting into something offering far more insight and impact. Gladwell is the author of five New York Times bestsellers — The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath. (Learn more here.)

Pulitzer Prize-winning Annie Dillard’s “The Chase” is an example of how creative nonfiction often features personal essays, which is perhaps the most popular approach to the genre. The essay describes a singular event during her childhood, suggesting how it impacted her ability (and readers, one hopes) to find and appreciate the excitement in life, even though such events may go unnoticed by many others. Former students of my English Composition I course may notice that such articles are similar to the course’s “Personal Narrative” essay assignments.

Award-winning author, Meghan Daum’s essay, “My Misspent Youth,” is another example of a creative nonfiction approach to a personal essay. Here, in engaging and dramatic terms, she describes her experience of going off to college — and, she imagines, becoming an adult — by taking on enormous debt. It is a cautionary tale, including to you, dear students!

Former students of my “English Composition I” course may notice that such articles are very similar to that course’s assignments to write “Personal Narrative” essays. Indeed, they are intended as such.

Thus, as a specific example this semester, I offer a recent student’s essay, “My First Time” by “Alejandra Alumna.” Although it may not be quite as polished as some of the other writers in the course, we often read an adult’s writing from a child’s perspective, as in To Kill a Mockingbird. Here, we have a genuine young person’s perspective, in a well-written story from her life that you may find to be both heart-warming and (for the readers, not the author) a little horrifying, too, at the same time.

Course Readings in Creative Nonfiction (CHOOSE THREE OR MORE)

Other Readings

Please remember to take notes on all the readings and videos in the course, and take a minute to review all your hard work, daily. 

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