Autobiography: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #572

by Laura Marcus

Autobiography is one of the most popular of written forms. From Casanova to Benjamin Franklin to the Kardashians, individuals throughout history have recorded their own lives and experiences. These personal writings are central to the work of literary critics, philosophers, historians and psychologists, who have found in autobiographies from across the centuries not only an understanding of the ways in which lives have been lived, but the most fundamental accounts ofwhat it means to be a self in the world.In this Very Short Introduction Laura Marcus defines what we mean by 'autobiography', and considers its relationship with similar literary forms such as memoirs, journals, letters, diaries, and essays. Analysing the core themes in autobiographical writing, such as confession, conversion and testimony; romanticism and the journeying self; Marcus discusses the autobiographical consciousness (and the roles played by time, memory and identity), and considers the relationship betweenpsychoanalysis and autobiography. Exploring the themes of self-portraiture and performance, Marcus also discusses the ways in which fiction and autobiography have shaped each other.ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Writing, Research, Theory

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Uroš Đurković · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ovakve knjige su retke i zato ne treba propustiti priliku da se nahvale, jer se ne radi o još jednom pregledu izuzetno zanimljive oblasti iz koje, izgleda, nema izlaza, nego jer je u pitanju pouzdan, vrlo pristupačan, pregledan priručnik gde su postavljana prava pitanja. Međutim, čak bi i oni koji su duboko u autonarativima pronašli ovde nešto novo ili makar neuobičajeno, kao što je, za mene inače izuzetno podsticajno, povezivanje autobiografije sa nature writing-om u kontekstu uspostavljanja i menjanja ideje moderniteta. S tim u vezi, često se prenebregava da je autobiografija (ali, izuzetno je važno znati – ne i biografija!) prilično mlada književna vrsta, imenovana tek u 18. veku. Uspostavljanje autobiografije kao forme utemeljeno je kako posebnim osećajem samovažnosti, koje je tesno povezano sa prosvetiteljstvom, tako i menjanjem doživljaja vremena, uviđanjem sopstvenog iskustva kao romaneskne naracije. Možda nam se to čini danas samorazumljivim, ali to nije moralo da bude tako: odabir da se život doživi kao priča i da je pritom baš, na primer, moj život i to iz moje sopstvene perspektive nekome važan, predstavljalo je novinu. Priča sa dnevnicima je drukčija: najveći broj dnevnika nikada nije premostio put od rukopisa do štampe niti, to, uostalom, i treba da bude slučaj. Dnevnici su kako plod praktične svakodnevne evidencija, tako i nasušna potreba za razgovorom sa samim sobom, a najčešće usputni, potajni, osim ako nisu službeni, kao, na primer, brodski dnevnici. A gde su dnevnici, tu su i ispovesti, a većini su najpoznatije dve: one od Svetog Avgustina sa kraja četvrtog veka i Rusoove koje su došle četrnaest vekova kasnije. Iako imaju nesumnjivu autobiografsku podlogu, pitanje je da li bismo ispovesti mogli nazvati autobiografijama u užem smislu, a slično pitanje se može postaviti za memoare, koji bi, u najširem smislu, predstavljali svaki nefikcionalni književni oblik utemeljen na autorovom sećanju. Memoari su stariji od autobiografije i mogu biti selektivni, vezani za neki konkretan poduhvat, odnosno, događaj, kao Toroov boravak na jezeru Valden ili „Memoari” Prote Mateje Nenadovića i Seča knezova pred Prvi srpski ustanak. Autobiografija predstavlja svest o životnoj celini: od rođenja do trenutka pisanja, s time što nije obavezno da bude završena tim trenutkom, već onda kada pisac proceni da treba (neki bi se mogli setiti kako je Nušić svoju „Autobiografiju” završio brakom, jer, šta je život, zaboga, posle braka, međutim, to baš nije tačno, ima Nušić u knjizi i jednu projektovanu, zabavnu epizodu života-posle-smrti). S tim u vezi, šta je onda autofikcija, jedna od najizrabljivanijih reči savremene književne teorije? Lora Markus se ovde sjajno snašla, a i red je bio. Ona kaže sledeće, pozivajući se na relevantne izvore: termin „autofikcija” nastao je 1977. kad je Serž Dubrovski tako označio svoj autobiografski roman „Sin” i predstavlja, zapravo, menjanje fokusa: ne radi se o tome da je život u pripovednom smislu dobio novo svojstvo, nego da se utopio u ideju romanesknosti, granice su postale poništene! Ne radi se, dakle, o tome, kako neko može da zamisli sa strane da se malo mućne mašta, malo bućne nešto iz sfere autorovog života i bum! nastade autofikcija, nego neposredno životno iskustvo postaje sve važniji pripovedni činilac. Ovo, zapravo, nije nikakvo otkriće, već govori o tome da su autobiogarfski elementi postali jedan od ključnih elemenata savremene književnosti. Autofikcija nije specifična forma, ona je uviđanje atendencija. Da je autofikcija žanrovska mućkalica, famozni miks fikcije i fakcije, apsolutno svaki narativ u prvom licu bi bio autofikcionalan. Za razumevanje (auto)fikcije neophodno je uvek spomenuti Filipa Ležena i njegov „autobiografski pakt” koji glasi: čitalac zna da je pisac lik dela, da pisac kazuje priču o svom životu. S tim u vezi, delo Dubrovskog ne može biti ništa drugo do autobiografski roman, a iz prepiske između Ležena i Dubrovskog saznejemo da je Dubrovski svoje delo nazvao autofikcijom naknadno, kako bi odgovaralo nekim njegovim teorijskim opservacijama. S tim u vezi, autorka ovog prevoda navodi savremene književne superhitove: Knausgora i Elenu Ferante, pa i Ani Erno. Ali ako načinimo samo mali korak unazad, videćemo da je insistiranje na autofikcionalnosti besmisleno: Knausgovora „Moja borba” je autobiografski roman u više tomova, koji se može čitati i kao memoari, a proza Ani Erno, koja je, za razliku od Knausgorove, izuzetno neraspričana, predstavlja takođe primer autobiografskih formi, koje su žanrovski još zanimljivije zbog, na primer, upotrebe različitih lica. Međutim, ako pratimo Ležena, lice nije presudno za to da li je nešto autobiografsko ili ne, već saznanje o istovetnosti, koje može biti i van samog teksta...

No dobro, sad sam se, u kasne sate zatrčao, misleći da ću moći na ovako složena pitanja da odgovorim sažeto i pregledno, ali osećam da stvari, kao što sam to već naznačio, izmiču. A i kako ne bi. Možda je i do mene i do loših kategorija. Ukoliko uđemo u pogrešan voz, svaka naredna stanica je loša. Ipak, od teme ne da odustajem, nego s njom živim. Autobiografski, autofikcionalno, svakovrsno. 

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life Writing is incredibly popular these days, and it came as no surprise to me to learn from This Very Short Introduction to Autobiography that Michel Foucault thinks that we have become ‘confessing animals’. The plethora of memoirs, autobiographies and ‘true confessions’ today seems to be evidence of a compulsion to record the complexities of human life, experience and memory, though it has to be said that some life writing seems of more lasting value than others. Autobiography, a Very Short Introduction by Laura Marcus, a Professor at Oxford, is a fascinating exploration of this kind of writing, starting with the Confessions of St Augustine in the 4th century, through to its modern manifestations in multimedia, autobiographical novels and autofiction.
After the Introduction, there are eight chapters in this VSI (as well as the usual references, suggestions for further reading, and an index).
Confession, conversion, testimony
The journeying self
Autobiographical consciousness
Autobiography and psychoanalysis
Family histories and the autobiography of childhood
Public selves
Self-portraiture, photography, and performance
Autobiographies, autobiographical novels, and autofictions.
Beginning in chapter one, Marcus discusses the important question of what motivates the writer of autobiography:

Numerous writers of autobiography, from across the centuries, have offered their own understandings of the motives for autobiography, its possible forms, and its intended readerships. Prefaces, or opening statements, frequently anticipate the charges of vanity, egotism, self-distortion (or self-promotion), and narcissism that might be levelled against the author who talks about him or herself, answering them in advance by suggesting more edifying or altruistic autobiographical motives. Some writers of autobiography will suggest that they are on a quest for self-understanding, while others will stress their wish to communicate their experiences to others. (p.5)

From a reader’s point-of-view, (or posterity’s) the value of a life-story depends on its representative or exemplary status. Some writers (such as Harriet Martineau) feel a duty to tell the story of an unusual life, while others such as John Stuart Mill felt compelled to write about his life in an age of transition.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/10/24/a...

[Hank Hoeft · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Autobiography: A Very Short Introduction, Laura Marcus does a good job moving through the diaries, memoirs, confessions, ghost-written celebrity stories, biographical fiction, etc. that make up "autobiography." Even though this is a "very short introduction," I wouldn't have thought there was so much to say on the topic, but the author is thorough, discussing the history of the form, the psychological aspects, and all the different types of self-revelation, including modern forms that are not strictly print medium only.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The literary scholar Laura Marcus published Autobiography: A Very Short Introduction in 2018. Marcus defines autobiography “as the attempt to write a life in full or at least in the fullness of a particular life stage, such as childhood or early years” (Marcus 7). The book also covers “autobiographies, autobiographical novels, and autofiction” (Marcus 110-122). Marcus quotes the writer Stephen Reyolds, who in 1906 defined “autobiografiction” as a “record of real spiritual experiences strung on a credible but more or less fictitious autobiographical narrative” (Marcus 111). Marcus writes, “The ‘fictitious’ dimension might include attributing autobiographical experiences to a fictional character” (Marcus 111). Marcus also defines literary terms such as “autobiographies, autobiographical novels, and autofiction” in the book (Marcus 110-122). The book has illustrations. Images play a role in Marcus’ book. Chapter 7 is entitled “self-portraiture, photography, and performance” (Marcus 110-122). Each chapter of Marcus’ book looks at various autobiographical writings. The book has a section of references and an index. The book has a section entitled “further reading” (Marcus 137-138). Marcus’s book is interested in what it means to write the concept of self (Marcus 1). Marcus writes, “Autobiographical writing is seen to act as a window onto concepts of self, identity, and subjectivity, and into how these are themselves determined by time and circumstance” (Marcus 2). I read the book on my Kindle. Marcus’ introduction to the concept of autobiography is well done.
Works Cited:
Schectmann, Marya. 2024. The Self: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. Kindle.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is on of the best in the series I have delved into. Can't say enough about these tiny books that pack in so much thought.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a long list of different autobiographies, with no apparent arc.

[Vincent DiGirolamo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glistening iceberg inviting deeper exploratory plunges.

[ainsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.00.

Read for ENGL 3901.