Stylistics -ll.

6th term

Literary text and non-literary text

A literary text is an artistic, original and subjective work that makes use of rhetorical
resources, has a poetic function and lacks a practical purpose. This type of text does not
have a defined audience and is connotative, ambiguous and polysemic, so its interpretation
tends to be open. Difference between Literary text and non-literary text
A non-literary text is a text that has a referential function , has a specific purpose, is
aimed at a specific audience and is objective. This type of text avoids ambiguity and the use
of rhetorical resources, connecting the audience with a reality external to the text itself.

LITERARY NON-LITERARY
TEXT TEXT

It is a text that has a

It is an artistic and
referential function and
original work that has
makes use of denotative
a poetic or aesthetic
language, in order to
Definition function, with a
inform about a matter,
polysemic character
to persuade or direct
and lacks any
the conduct of a
practical purpose.
specific audience.

Language
Poetic or aesthetic. Referential.
function

• Subjective
and • Objective and
connotative denotative
(what is (what is
written has written refers
Characteristics a particular to reality and
meaning is not freely
for each interpretable).
person). • It has a
Ambiguous
• practical
and purpose.
LITERARY NON-LITERARY
TEXT TEXT
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 Stylistics -ll. 6th term

polysemic • Its
(it has objecti
more than one meaning). ve is
• It lacks a pragmatic purpose. to
inform
• It is not aimed at a specific audience.
,
• It is original and instruc
fictional, even if it is based t, or
on real events. direct
• It is selfreferential, it presents people
complete worlds in themselves. ’s
• Use behavi
rhetorical resources to or.
express and provoke • Valid
emotion. within
• There is no defined or particular a
audience. specifi
c
• Your
contex
audience is defined.
t.
• It may not be an original work.
• It is referential and its message is
more important than any poetic
sense.
• Its content is based on reality.
LITERARY NON-LITERARY
TEXT TEXT

• It becomes
long-lived
and can be
accessed in
different
contexts.
Odes, stories, Conferences,
Christmas carols, plays, journalistic notes,
novels, songs, fables, manuals and
hors d’oeuvres and instructions, legal
Examples sacramental cars, documents,
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 Stylistics -ll. 6th term

dissertations, academic
articles, philosophical
texts, opinion articles
among others. and advertising
messages,
among
others.

What is a literary text?

A literary text is that original work, generally written, that makes use of
rhetorical elements that provoke a reaction in the reader, has a poetic or
aesthetic function and has no practical purpose .
It is ambiguous and polysemic (it has more than one meaning), so it can be
interpreted in many ways. It uses rhetorical resources to express the
subjectivity of the author and obtain the participation of the reader. It is self-
referential , which means that it is a complete work in itself.
This type of text is characterized by being an original creation. Even if it is
inspired by real events or people, or describes a physical and verifiable
reality, each work claims to be a unique creation.

In case of the narrator of the story, this is the voice that tells the events. In
most cases you are separated from the author, even if you can represent their
point of view.

The language he uses is primarily connotative (the words have a personal

meaning, both for the author and for the reader), usually charged with
emotion and subjectivity. Furthermore, it is not limited to the particular time
and space of its creation. As an artistic work, the literary text has the capacity
to be long-lived and read by a wide variety of audiences in many places and
times.

Characteristics of the literary text

• The literary text is ambiguous, so it is common for it to have
different interpretations.

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 Stylistics -ll. 6th term

• It is polysemic, and acquires new meanings with each reading.

• It does not have a pragmatic purpose or a specific objective, even
though whoever produces it may have a specific intention.
• It is not directed at a specific audience.
• Its function is aesthetic or poetic.
• It makes use of rhetorical and stylistic resources to fulfill its
aesthetic function: onomatopoeia, hyperbole, metaphors, similes,
alliteration, etc.
• It is common that the present language is not used in everyday life,
due to its polysemic and rhetorical nature.
• It presents a fictional and self-referential world full of details (even
when it is based on reality).
• It has a connotative character, since it is an artistic work created
from the subjective point of view of the author.
• It is an original creation. Difference between Literary text and non-literary text
Function of the literary text
Its main function is poetic or aesthetic, so rhetorical figures are used to
provoke some feeling or reaction in the receiver. That is, the literary text does
not have a referential function, as is the case with the non-literary text.

The world created within the text is a whole in itself. In this way, this type of
text is not subordinate to an informative function, even if it communicates
something about external reality (as in detailed and highly descriptive
realistic or naturalistic novels).

Relationship between sender and receiver in the literary text

The relationship between the author and the reader is deferred. The reader is
not able to respond to the author directly. For example, during the process of
creating the text, the author finds himself estranged from the audience. It is
not possible to respond to the message that is transmitted through the text
without modifying it (which would create a new work).

The reader is not defined , he is not a concrete person. The text is open to
be read by an audience that can go beyond that to which the author

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 Stylistics -ll. 6th term

originally intended to address. This implies that your audience is not easily
quantifiable or identifiable.
However, the reader participates in a communicative act, accepting the
subjectivity of the text and its lack of referentiality.

Fictional character of the literary text Difference between Literary text and non-literary text
The literary text is a fiction , so it does not pretend to be a real
representation of the facts. However, different types of texts can be
interpreted as literary texts, even if they were not written with that
intention.
In any case, both author and reader (generally) are aware of the fictional
nature of the literary text, which is intended to be a complete world unto
itself. That is to say, what the text offers is nothing more than a subjective
creation of the author, it is not a retelling of facts from the real world.

Absence of purpose in the literary text

The literary text has no specific purpose . There may be an intention behind
the production of the text, for example, moral or educational, but it is not
one of its defining
characteristics. Difference between Literary text and non-literary text
Genres of the literary text Difference between Literary text and non-literary text
Literary texts can be classified according to the form they take, the function
that the author wants them to have, the symbolic and semantic content,
among other peculiarities that differentiate them from each other. Three
major literary genres are generally considered: lyrical, narrative, and dramatic.
These texts have primarily an aesthetic or poetic function, however, they
make use of other functions, due to the form and content they

present. Difference between Literary text and non-literary text

LYRICAL EPIC OR DRAMATIC
NARRATIVE

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 Stylistics -ll. 6th term

Generally
The
shows the The author
characters in
subjectivity introduces a
the play are
of the narrator
the ones
Author author, who is in
who speak
expressing charge of
and perform
a high telling the
the actions in
level of story.
the story.
emotion.

Principal Appellate or
Expressive Referential.
function conative.

Tragedy,
comedy,
Poetry,
drama,
ode, elegy,
tragicomedy,
epistle,
melodrama,
eclogue,
hors
epigram, Short story,
d’oeuvre,
Christmas novel, epic,
auto
carol, song fable and
sacramental,
Subgenres and others. others.
and others.

What is a non-literary text?

A non-literary text is one that has a referential or informative function , a
specific purpose, has an objective character and makes use of denotative
language.
This type of text does not make use of rhetorical resources, which are used in
literary texts to express the subjectivity of the author. It is at the service of a
specific purpose and designed for specific audiences. The information they
communicate is external to the text itself.

Characteristics
• They have a referential or informative function.

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 Stylistics -ll. 6th term

• Its content is not fictional.

• They depend on a context.
• They are written seeking objectivity.
• They have a specific audience.
• They have a particular purpose.
• The message takes precedence over any poetic sense.
• The language used is denotative, which makes them unambiguous.
Function of non-literary text
It is referential, so in this kind of text the message refers to something
external. The sender tries to fulfill a purpose with his production, while the
receiver wants to obtain information or knowledge about something specific.

In the same way, the transmission of the message is one of its most
important objectives . What it communicates can be a fact, a process,
norms, description of an object or person, etc. For example, an auto
mechanic manual refers to the process of repairing
cars. Difference between Literary text and non-literary text
This implies that the non-literary text must be objective , so it is expected
that it is not ambiguous and that it lacks the polysemic density of the
literary text. That is, it is a denotative text (what is written refers to reality),
what is written in it, generally, does not leave room for free interpretation.
However, whoever produces a non-literary text can use elements of literary
texts to communicate a message or transmit information. For example,
rhetorical devices can be used when describing or narrating a news event in a
newspaper. In this case, the reader may find a certain literary character that
leads him to feel empathy or react adversely to what is communicated.

Relationship between sender and receiver in non-literary text

Depending on the type of text and its purpose, the relationship between
sender and receiver varies. The audience is defined from the moment it
is going to be produced. In academic or scientific texts, for example, the
person who produces the text is a person with some level of specialization
in an area of knowledge. The receiver or audience of this type of text is

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 Stylistics -ll. 6th term

expected to be able to understand the technicalities of the text, in order

to reduce any ambiguity.

In other cases, if it is an expository text, the author may have the objective of
informing the receiver about some topic or event. In the case of normative
texts, whoever issues them intends that the audience not only be informed
about a particular matter, but also act in a
certain way. Difference between Literary text and non-literary text
Purpose of the non-literary text
Non-literary texts have a particular purpose . The purpose may vary
depending on the information to which they refer and the nature of the text.
They can be texts that are intended to transmit knowledge about a scientific
topic, educate, or communicate norms and rules, among others.
The end is also dictated by the audience to which these texts are directed. If it
is advertising copy, generally, your ideal audience is delimited first, and then
the text is elaborated. In the same way, if it is an academic text, the technical
content of your vocabulary already considers your ideal audience.

Types of non-literary texts Difference between Literary text and non-literary text
Non-literary texts can be classified according to their purpose. These can
have the objective of disclosing information, explaining an issue,
communicating the results of an investigation or making known how a
person acts. Even though these texts share the function of the referential
language, it is possible that they have other functions according to their
specific purposes.

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 Stylistics -ll. 6th term

EXPOSITORY OR NORMATIVE OR ACADEMIC OR

ARGUMENTATIVE
INFORMATIVE INSTRUCTIVE SCIENTIST

Expressing
Inform and facilitate Inform and provide Communicate or communic
understanding of a directions or orders disseminate knowledge on point of vi
objective topic. about how someone a specific matter. opinion w
should act in a specific intention o
context. persuadin
convincing

Main
language Referential. Appellate. Referential. Appellate.
function

• • • •
Usually
produced in an
Produced institutional
• setting.
Impersonal, within an
• • •
use of the third institutional Intertextuality
person. framework. and reference
• Formality to other texts.
Simple and
and •
• organized Specific
• technical
structure. receptor.
vocabulary. • Formality and
Objectivity. •
• Clear and specialized and
It proposes to
• succinct. technical
disclose,
• expose or Objectivity. vocabulary.
report any topic Focused on • Organized
May present • the receiver. structure.
technical or Regulates • Communicate •
• specialized behavior in results or a state
vocabulary. a certain of the art.
It can present • context. • Comprehensive •
characteristics Linear or step and
Characteristics of literary texts. structure. methodological.

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 Stylistics -ll. 6th term

Cooking recipes,
Dissertations, theses, Speeches,
instructions, manuals,
Lectures, reports, news, academic articles, philosoph
legislative and legal
essays, biographies, and encyclopedic entries, essays, op
documents, political
others. monographs, scientific articles, ad
constitution, and
essays, and others. messages,
Examples others.

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