Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact. Generally a fact is defined as something that is true something that actually exists or something that can be verified according to an established standard of evaluation This presentation may be accurate or not; that is, it can give either a true or a false account of the subject in question. However, it is generally assumed that the authors of such accounts believe them to be truthful at the time of their composition. Note that reporting the beliefs of others in a nonfiction format is not necessarily an endorsement of the ultimate veracity of those beliefs, it is simply saying that it is true that people believe that (for such topics as mythology, religion). The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Non-fiction can also be written about fiction, giving information about these other works. Fiction is the telling of stories which are not real More specifically fiction is an imaginative form of Narrative, one of the four basic Rhetorical modes.
Non-fiction is one of the two main divisions in writing, particularly used in libraries, the other being fiction. A library is a collection of information sources resources and services and the structure in which it is housed it is organized for use and maintained by a public body an institution However, non-fiction need not be written text necessarily, since pictures and film can also purport to present a factual account of a subject. An image (from Latin imago) or picture is an artifact usually two-dimensional that has a similar appearance to some subject &mdashusually
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Types
Essays, journals, documentaries, histories, scientific papers, photographs, biographies, textbooks, blueprints, technical documentation, user manuals, diagrams and some journalism are all common examples of non-fiction works, and including information that the author knows to be untrue within any of these works is usually regarded as dishonest. An essay is usually a short piece of writing It is often written from an author's personal point of view. A journal (through French from late Latin diurnalis, daily has several related meanings a daily record of events or business a private Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Academic publishing describes the subfield of Publishing which distributes academic Research and Scholarship. A photograph (often shortened to photo) is an Image created by Light falling on a light-sensitive surface usually Photographic film or an electronic A biography (from the Greek words bíos (βίος meaning "life" and gráphein (γράφειν meaning "to write" is an account A textbook is a manual of instruction or a standard book in any branch of study A blueprint is a type of paper-based reproduction usually of a Technical drawing, documenting an Architecture or an Engineering design A technical writer is a professional writer who designs writes creates maintains and updates technical Documentation &mdashincluding Online help, User guides A diagram is a 2D geometric symbolic Representation of Information according to some Visualization technique Journalism is the profession of writing or communicating formally employed by publications and broadcasters for the benefit of a particular Community of people Other works can legitimately be either fiction or non-fiction, such as journals of self-expression, letters, magazine articles, and other expressions of imagination. A journal (through French from late Latin diurnalis, daily has several related meanings a daily record of events or business a private A letter is a Written Message from one person to another Letters especially a regular exchange between two persons (sometimes called Pen pals Magazines, periodicals or serials are Publications generally published on a regular schedule containing a variety of articles, generally Although they are mostly either one or the other it is possible for there to be a blend of both. Some fiction may include non-fictional elements. Some non-fiction may include elements of unverified supposition, deduction, or imagination for the purpose of smoothing out a narrative, but the inclusion of open falsehoods would discredit it as a work of non-fiction. Supposition theory was a branch of Medieval logic that was probably aimed at giving accounts of issues similar to modern accounts of Reference, Plurality Imagination is the ability to form Mental images/sounds/feelings or the ability to Spontaneously Generate images/sounds/feelings within one's own Mind A narrative or story is a construct created in a suitable format (written spoken poetry prose images song Theater, or Dance) that describes a sequence of
Distinctions
The numerous literary and creative devices used within fiction are generally thought inappropriate for use in non-fiction. Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter They are still present particularly in older works but they are often muted so as not to overshadow the information within the work. Simplicity, clarity and directness are some of the most important considerations when producing non-fiction. Audience is important in any artistic or descriptive endeavour but it is perhaps most important in non-fiction. In fiction, the writer believes that readers will make an effort to follow and interpret an indirectly or abstractly presented progression of theme, whereas the production of non-fiction has more to do with the direct provision of information. Understanding of the potential readers' use for the work and their existing knowledge of a subject are both fundamental for effective non-fiction. Despite the truth of non-fiction it is often necessary to persuade the reader to agree with the ideas and so a balanced, coherent and informed argument is also vital. Mark Twain said, paraphrased: "The difference between fiction and non-fiction is that fiction must be absolutely believable. "
History
Cave paintings, from 40,000 years ago, are one of the oldest forms of human expression and could be either a record of what prehistoric man caught on hunting trips, i. Cave paintings are Paintings on Cave walls and ceilings and the term is used especially for those dating to Prehistoric times e. non-fiction, or alternately a story expressing what they would like to catch on future occasions, i. e. fiction. If cave art is ambiguous on this matter, cuneiform inscriptions which hold the earliest writings seem to have been initially for non-fiction. Some of the most important symbols in cuneiform represent goods such as oxen and barley and the earliest texts in existence deal with the buying and selling of these items and other economic matters, although fiction was not far behind. An economy is the realized social system of production exchange distribution and consumption of goods and services of a country or other area
Much of the non-fiction produced throughout history is of a mundane and everyday variety such as records and legal documents which were only ever seen by a few and are of little interest except to the historian. It probably easily outweighs fiction in the amount that has been produced but fiction generally has a longer lasting appeal as it is designed for entertainment and even rather mediocre fiction survives a few generations. The non-fiction that transcends its original time tends to be viewed as either exceptionally well made or perfectly embodying the ideas, manners and attitudes of the time it was produced, even if it was not actually created as history.
At any one time in history there is the body of non-fiction work which represents the currently accepted truths of the period. Although these non-fiction works may be contradictory they form a corpus that is regularly being altered with better explanations of ideas or with new facts. A good example of this are the non-fiction scientific books and papers which explain the science of the day but are then superseded by better representations. Textbooks for explaining and teaching the current state of scientific and historical knowledge are regularly updated and manuals for operating new technology are also produced.