The aim of the article is to present the accomplishments of Polish narratology in the field of non-fiction. For certain reasons, including the condition of literature itself, it was particularly inclined to tackle the problem of documentary and come up with effective methods of analysing referential texts. Early discussions on reportage and interwar theoretical concepts form a background for the structuralist approach to non-fiction texts. The focus is on Michał Głowiński’s fundamental studies. In the analytical practice he realises his main methodological assumption: to use the traditional tools of poetics to cope also with non-fiction.