  Within the framework of natural configurations developed by Rajagopal and
Srinivasa, evolution within continuum thermodynamics is formulated as evolution
of a natural configuration linked with the current configuration. On the other
hand, withing the General Equation for Non-Equilibrium Reversible-Irreversible
Coupling (GENERIC) framework, the evolution is split into Hamiltonian mechanics
and (generalized) gradient dynamics. These seemingly radically different
approaches have actually a lot in common and we show their compatibility on a
wide range of models. Both frameworks are illustrated on~isotropic and
anisotropic rate-type fluid models. We propose an interpretation of the natural
configurations within GENERIC and vice versa (when possible).
