The Memoir and the Memoirist: Reading and Writing Personal Narrative

by Thomas Larson

The memoir is the most popular and expressive literary form of our time. Writers embrace the memoir and readers devour it, propelling many memoirs by relative unknowns to the top of the best-seller list. Writing programs challenge authors to disclose themselves in personal narrative. Memoir and personal narrative urge writers to face the intimacies of the self and ask what is true.

In The Memoir and the Memoirist , critic and memoirist Thomas Larson explores the craft and purpose of writing this new form. Larson guides the reader from the autobiography and the personal essay to the memoir--a genre focused on a particularly emotional relationship in the author's past, an intimate story concerned more with who is remembering, and why, than with what is remembered.

The Memoir and the Memoirist touches on the nuances of memory, of finding and telling the truth, and of disclosing one's deepest self. It explores the craft and purpose of personal narrative by looking in detail at more than a dozen examples by writers such as Mary Karr, Frank McCourt, Dave Eggers, Elizabeth Wurtzel, Mark Doty, Nuala O'Faolain, Rick Bragg, and Joseph Lelyveld to show what they reveal about themselves. Larson also opens up his own writing and that of his students to demonstrate the hidden mechanics of the writing process.

For both the interested reader of memoir and the writer wrestling with the craft , The Memoir and the Memoirist provides guidance and insight into the many facets of this provocative and popular art form.

Genres: Writing, Memoir, Nonfiction, Reference

211 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Thomas Larson is the author of The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" from Pegasus Books, September 2010.

www.thomaslarson.com"

Reviews

[Stephen Gallup · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I reached the end of this book, without pausing I turned back to page one and began it again. That's because the author put far more thought and insight into this ambitious undertaking than I was able to absorb in one pass.

The modern-day memoir--life stories written by ordinary folks--has vocal detractors. Some dismiss it as facile self-absorption. Others recoil from the lurid sensationalism found in certain examples and extrapolate from that to the whole genre. Thomas Larson, perhaps for the first time, explains here what is really going on in memoir and makes a case for its acceptance, along with the essay, the novel, and other forms, as serious literature.

This book will not tell you how to write your own memoir. However, it WILL help you evaluate your work in terms of its honesty. If you have been penning a simple chronological account of your exploits and mishaps, this book will encourage a deeper analysis. According to Larson, a serious memoirist is disclosing the truth of events and motivations to himself at the same time he discloses it to the reader, is questioning his memory, assumptions, values, and--in the process of reconciling past drama with the present drama of grappling with it--transforming and liberating himself.

This kind of introspection is an entirely different thing from the self-justification found in autobiographies of famous people. Larson finds it healthier, so much so that he ends up recommending it not only for memoirists but for all of us.

The Memoir and The Memoirist is both scholarly and personable. In part, that means it examines what works (and occasionally fails to work) in a number of well-known memoirs. But, as in a memoir, the author is present in the material as well. I was startled to notice a couple of minor errors in his discussion of one memoir (e.g., Larson remembers the author's father as being a Vietnam vet when that book states he served in Korea). I doubt that these subtle slips were intentional, but actually they prove his point: Truth is elusive, memory and assumptions will trip us up all the time. All the more reason for the tentative, self-doubting approach taken in what he feels are the best memoirs.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book saved me from my madness. I am one of many who have found themselves writing memoir. I didn't choose this genre, it chose me and I am on a journey of trying to figure out what it means to write memoir. Thanks to Thomas' book, I am now okay with writing about the me then using the me now and that it is okay to modify the story using a lens that is different than the lens I looked through when I first experienced the subject matter to my story. He also gave some great suggestions on what memoirs to read to learn about different writing methods. This is a book that helps a memoirist find their voice while keeping their sanity.

[heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I appreciate Thomas Larson's personal philosophy of memoir, I felt like this book generalized his own approach to contemporary memoir to a large degree and romanticized the writing of memoir over other genres. I believe it takes every bit as introspective of a person to write a good novel or a good poem as a memoir.

I bet, though, that he's a great teacher. I found the book inspiring as a writer's guide (which is, to be fair, the area of Powell's in which I found the book) but disappointing as a study of the memoir form in contemporary literature. It claims to be both.

[Susan Lampe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author and teacher Larson dives deep into exploration of the genre of memoir and personal narrative, expressing his experience and insights. He tracks the development and history of memoir since its debut in the l980s. Interesting views on the importance of connecting past with present in memoir, how authors do this and why age enables a better perspective on life experience. He also explores "Sudden Memoir" as a part of this genre. An essential companion for anyone writing or teaching the Memoir Genre.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't pick this up for myself, and I didn't finish reading it!

However, based on the first 20 pages - the preface, intro, and first chapter - I believe it would be useful to anyone who undertakes writing their own memoir.

First, Larson is very encouraging; he has faith in every person to address the task of memoir with interest and a growth mindset.

Second, he provides examples and references to use as models, and in these, he includes a wide diversity of published memoirs and explains what he sees as their unique strength.

Third, he devotes the same energy, enthusiasm, and respect to describing pitfalls of writing memoir, with examples and lists to help novice writers. (I only skimmed this part, since I'm not writing a memoir myself, just finding books for other people - but it looked useful!)

All of this would also be of interest to people who like to *read* memoirs, too, so I was pleased to see his Bibliography of memoirs at the end - although, I didn't take the time to figure out what order he was using for the list of 125 memoirs, which are clearly neither chronological nor by author.

Following that list is a bibliography of Works Cited, which is totally confusing because some works are in both places, whereas others list the memoir in the first list, and an interview about the author in the second list, but neither refers to the page in Larson's text where the work or author was mentioned.

I would recommend this to an adult reader who is curious about the memoir form, whether for writing or reading.

[Naia Pard · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is built by intertwining his considerations on a number of memoirs. I cannot say that I am a fan of the method. It wastes too much in tackling others’ work and too little on his own. Where is the subject he wants to present?

It is true, that you can say little more about memoirs than it has been already written—that is someone`s interpretation of their lives—and what can you predict about its future when its potential as a genre is still?

I may also be a bit sour because I am not reading this out of pleasure and curiosity but out the necessity of having something on my paper.

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[Louise Julig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fascinating. As opposed to a how-to, it’s an exploration of the process of writing a memoir and how the writing of one’s story in turn affects the writer. As Larson states in the Preface, “Why is it that when we write of what we remember, the effect on us now is so important?” Those memories are not just “out there,” they affect us again as we write them. He examines quite a number of memoirs to illustrate different points as he goes along in this exploration. I highly recommend it.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should have loved this book. Themes include the psychology of memory, honesty. Identity, persona, narrative voice, as well as other topics. Jung is frequently quoted. Memoirs cited include a variety of types from well known writers, less well known writers, and unpublished writing from groups that he has taught. I love all of that. The problem for me is that most chapters feel like a description of memoirs and a critique of the author's psychological development. The book should be fascinating, but I can't recommend it.

[Chuchu Chuchu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. It is very interesting and provides a detailed descirption and analysis of memoirs. I've read a lot of books about writing about the self but this one is certainly the best!!
Deserves 5 *

[Chuck Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeply thoughtful look at memoir as a genre and the various ways it examines the past through the lens of the present. Based on a broad, comprehensive reading of memoirs, old and new, the book offers incisive insight and serves as a guide to both critical reading and thoughtful, focused writing for both the first time memoirist and those who have already published pieces of personal history.

[Shirley Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will help the reader/writer get to the really difficult, and rewarding part, of writing memoir. The concept of persona different from the self in the story is essential to writing well. Larson teaches memoir, uses case studies from his classes and classic memoirs for illustration of his ideas. Among the dozen or more books I have read about memoir, this one stands out. In fact, when I think of the task of revising my own memoir draft, I know the best education I can get on persona is in this book.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though I was really skeptical of memoirs, and really bitched about having to write (a partial) memoir for class, I'm obsessed with my drafts and am proud of how it turned out. This book was sort of helpful; I would have preferred to read more memoirs to learn about various styles and techniques instead of just reading about them.

[Jim]

So far so godd. My complaint with a lot of books on craft is the lack of academic rigor that goes into organizing the material: lists of books considered, citations for recommended titles, etc. This has all that and more.

[Sheri Fresonke Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Larson offers excellent examples of different memoirs and provides commentary about them in terms of how memoir is structured, written, and encourages. The book tells of his experiences with a writing group and some of the writer's challenges with time and theme and structure.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely tasty insight to prepare me for future projects and rewrites on my current projects. Delicious!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very honest and thought-provoking account of what it means to write a memoir. I was particularly intrigued by the idea that our present condition affects the memories we access from the past.

[Aurora L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An analysis of recent memoir. This book made me want to read A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

good few chapters on theory. i found the treatments of various memoirs less interesting/helpful