ABSTRACT
Throughout English work in secondary school the terms ‘literary’ and ‘non-literary’ are used to distinguish between different types of text. The same terms are used in Assessment Objective AO2 of the combined English Language and Literature A Level specifications, which says that candidates must respond to ‘literary and nonliterary texts’. This extensive official use of the terms suggests that they are accepted ways of describing texts, which everyone understands and is comfortable with. This chapter will explore whether the distinction between the two types of text is in fact as clear-cut as is often thought.
