
Autobiography
A Very Short Introduction
Laura Marcus(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 26. July 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-0-19-966924-0 (ISBN)
Description
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 of what 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 between psychoanalysis 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 SERIES: 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.
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 between psychoanalysis 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 SERIES: 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.
Reviews / Votes
Marcus's book is an excellent overview of autobiographical writing from diverse literatures and genres, paying particular attention to women writers and philosophical questions. * Philipp Reisner, Journal of the Austrian Association for American Studies * excellent VSI * ANZ LitLovers LiBlog * A useful and entertaining introduction to autobiography by its foremost theorist. Clear, comprehensive, and very clever. For students and scholars alike. * Zachary Leader, University of Roehampton *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Illustrations
8 black and white images
Dimensions
Height: 172 mm
Width: 108 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
129 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-966924-0 (9780199669240)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/2018
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€5.49
Available for download

E-Book
05/2018
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€5.49
Available for download
Person
Laura Marcus is Goldsmiths' Professor of English Literature and Fellow of New College at Oxford. She is also a Fellow of the British Academy. Marcus has published widely on nineteenth and twentieth-century literature and culture, with books on autobiography, Virginia Woolf, modernist writing and literature and film. Her publications in the field of life-writing include Auto/biographical Discourses: Theory, Criticism, Practice (Manchester Univerity Press, 1994), and numerous essays on autobiography and biography.
Content
Introduction
1: Confession, Conversion, Testimony
2: The Journeying Self
3: Autobiographical Consciousness
4: Autobiography and psychoanalysis
5: Family Histories and the Autobiography of Childhood
6: Public Selves
7: Self-portraiture, photography and performance
References
Further Reading
Index
1: Confession, Conversion, Testimony
2: The Journeying Self
3: Autobiographical Consciousness
4: Autobiography and psychoanalysis
5: Family Histories and the Autobiography of Childhood
6: Public Selves
7: Self-portraiture, photography and performance
References
Further Reading
Index