Autobiography

by Linda Anderson

If every writer necessarily draws on their own life, is any writing outside the realm of ‘autobiography’?

The new edition of this classic guide is fully updated to include:

developments in autobiographical criticism, highlighting major theoretical issues and concepts

different forms of the genre from confessions and narratives to memoirs and diaries

uses of the genre in their historical and cultural contexts

major autobiographical writers including St Augustine, Bunyan, Boswell, Rousseau and Wordsworth, alongside non-canonical autobiographies by women

twentieth-century autobiography including women's writing, black and postcolonial writing, and personal criticism

a new chapter ?on narrative and new material examining recent trends in autobiography such as blogs, the popularity of literary memoirs and recent developments in theory on testimonial writing.

Combining theoretical discussion with thought-provoking readings of major texts, this is the ideal introduction to the study of a fascinating genre.

Genres: Theory, Nonfiction, Philosophy

172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 22, 2001

About the author

Linda and Allen Anderson are pet-experts, keynote speakers, best-selling authors, and founders of the Angel Animals Network. They help people discover and benefit from the miraculous powers of animals. Dedicated to promoting human-animal companionship, Allen and Linda donate a portion of proceeds from their work to animal rescue organizationis and do fundraising activities.

The Andersons believe that whenever you connect spiritually with animals, thousands of new doors open. Through their books, newsletters, presentations, insights, and this website they will show you portals into a whole new world where animals are your guides, healers, and friends.

With pets in 63% of American homes (71 million households) in 2007, it's astonishing to consider the consequences of ignoring animals as wisdom partners and the benefits of tapping into their hidden talents.

Reviews

[musa b-n · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked reading this book! I usually don't enjoy texts that are both long and heavily theory-based, but this was surprisingly read-able and very eye opening. I read it for the purpose of my BA thesis, but I think it would have been good to read for leisure as well. Anderson does an incredible job of talking about the history of Autobiography and the critiques of Autobiography, paying particular and nuanced attention to marginalized voices. I felt like the end was leading towards a larger conclusion that it never really came to, which is why I gave it four instead of five stars. However, it's probably good that it didn't get to that conclusion - that's why I'm writing my thesis, haha. A good book that I'd recommend to anyone, especially people interested in the concept of life narrative!

[Thomas Cafe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, short entry into the world of theory and criticism as they pertain to autobiography. The first half appears dated but the more recent additions on postcolonial and internet modes of writing the self were great albeit short. I’d say a must-read for anyone dipping their toes into the pursuit of an intellectual engagement with auto/biography.

[Dede · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually liked it.

[Abby]

Another one of these? Well, okay. They're good for me, I suppose. Theory and criticism is an interesting way to meet some of these people--Hester Thrale (loved her kids, liked being a mom, didn't challenge any norms, just liked to write stuff down), Rousseau ("I will venture to say that I am like no one in the whole world"--bleh, sounds like me in high school), Freud (always so classically repressed by his own standards). And then poststructuralism happens and things get weird (mommy issues, circumcision, the problem of women's relation to autobiography...what? the hell? is the problem?). I feel like I read the whole book just to get to Virginia Woolf. Maybe that was Anderson's feeling as well. Must read Virginia Woolf!

Honestly, the theory and critical investigation into autobiography seems a little misguided in its single-minded pursuit of the author/subject. The equally fundamental and interesting thing about autobiography is not the subject but the audience. Who is the autobiography for? And why? And how come we're not talking about that?

[loafingcactus · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is autobiographical writing and what does it do for and to the writer? This short and quick read has some excellent answers to those questions, referring to the greatest autobiographical books of history as examples. One issue in particular is the nature of time in a life- does the present re-write the past, or does the past write the present? Or some mix of these things? Does autobiography make the writer the subject, or does it further establish her as an object? How can the writer influence how that last question plays out?

My only criticism of the book is that it ends very abruptly, leaving this reader to wonder where the end of that chapter is as well as the end of the book.

(Note: I save my five stars for great works. Three stars is not knocking the book; it means totally adequate.)

[Ben Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anderson's contribution to 'The New Critical idiom' series provides a clearly structured, wide ranging introduction to autobiographical studies. It focuses heavily on the central importance of gender in both the historical practice and critical study of autobiography.