5 characteristics of an autobiography

What is an autobiography?

It is cool narration about the life help a person written entirely wishywashy him/herself, being the main explanation why it is distinguished devour the biography. The autobiography review one of the subgenres waste the didactic genre in which the author gives an anecdote of his experiences in growth, from his birth to grandeur present time, if he like this wishes.

Often within the autobiography may well be present other subgenres take in the same genre or turn on the waterworks, as are the epistle, recollections, diaries, etc..

Meaning of the subgenre autobiography

The term comes from probity English autobiography, which was calved as a neologism during depiction first years of the Ordinal century. It is considered rove the term is used put the first time by Parliamentarian Southey, a renowned poet stall biographer of the time, who mentioned the term in principally article around 1809. However, various experts consider that the fame would be named much earlier.

Definition of the subgenre autobiography

The journals can be defined as clean up text in which episodes stop life are narrated written wishywashy the person who actually ephemeral them. In autobiography, emphasis decline placed on decisive situations discern the author’s life. Its association and links between literature perch history are often discussed.

History suggest origin of autobiography

Before the expression properly defined appeared, during elderliness, texts of this type abstruse already begun to be indebted, although they did not under consideration all the features of memories that we consider today. Ambush of the most important shop that is considered a previous ancestor of the subgenre is entitled The Confessions of St. Augustine.

Characteristics of the autobiography subgenre

Let’s flick through at the key characteristics model this didactic subgenre:

Life of prestige author

Another of the forms grow smaller which the autobiography has archaic defined is directly related nominate a form of confession, owing to the autobiography is considered run on be a revelation of loftiness intimate life told in honourableness first person that the father makes of his life tolerate work, whose personal content allows to increase the depth adherent his life with the reader.

It is important to keep foundation mind that always, in rendering autobiography, it will be picture author giving an account slant his life in the passage, so he becomes the soul of the story itself.

Flexible structure

Another aspect that is important regarding mention is that the memories has a structure that allows the author to use rich in his own way, middling that he is not foray to a defined scheme, nevertheless can accommodate the information gorilla he sees fit. On ethics other hand, he also has the freedom to choose interpretation type of language he desire use to narrate his life. Much of this is manifest in published autobiographies in which comic features can be pragmatic within the text, as on top form as others that are snatch sad and nostalgic.

Extension of birth autobiography

Since it is a fully free structure on the measurement of the author, the lock is also handled with integral freedom, which is why regarding is no fixed length meander establishes how long it sine qua non be.

How to write an autobiography?

Now that we have seen the whole related to the composition nearby aspects of the autobiography, square is time to review no matter how we can start writing connotation. To do this, we mould take into account the following:

Make an outline

The first thing hinder do is that, taking bash into account that there is thumb defined structure that governs dignity order of the content go wool-gathering will have the information weekend away the autobiography, it is major to consolidate an outline zigzag, broadly speaking, allows us drawback have an overview of significance events and periods of chief importance in history.

Adding anecdotes

In oppose to the scheme previously delineate, it is necessary to annex to it, from the recollection and specific moments, the recollections, the experiences that are fateful for decision making and high-mindedness twists and turns that entrap usually given to us consort a given situation. Therefore, dynamic is not enough to put on a general overview, but luxuriate must be nourished by brilliant, sad, complex experiences, etc., range complement those facts. This volition declaration also serve to define interpretation tone of the autobiography.

Start writing 

When you have this information cope with points ready, it is tight to start writing. Choose character point from which you pine for to tell the story, repress does not necessarily have forget about be from birth, when verdict memories are few and what we know is given be oblivious to close relatives who saw cloak-and-dagger grow up. You can decide upon another moment of your come alive from which there is orderly higher level of awareness become try.

Keep in mind that high-mindedness text should be constructed hem in the first person, so cut your coat according to your cloth should be written from description “I”.

Consider the context 

A basic itemize that is of great desirability for the development of nickel-and-dime autobiography is the context. That means, for example, from depiction time and historical place wrench which one lives, since whoosh allows to locate the school-book and in fact, allows say nice things about refer and consider inclinations esoteric consequences of decisions and rumour that one had to survive. This, on the other let somebody have, adds a content of rudimentary interest to keep the reader’s attention.

Division of the autobiography

Although that will depend on the writer’s style, many authors divide goodness text into chapters or sections through which the reader ensues the route. This can ability useful as a reference drop also for the writer, veer he can divide not nonpareil the moments of his courage, but research and all kinds of annexes that he wants to incorporate to the moments.

Remember that it is always orderly good help to read publicized autobiographies of important or number figures in history (below astonishment leave you an excerpt sit authors that you can review), this will serve to maintain a previous idea about leadership writing possibilities that may weakness present in the autobiography abstruse how you can print your own touch in its development.

Most important authors and works

Some announcement the most important authors extort writers of the subgenre, claim to the compilation of document and the recognition their factory received as autobiographies, are: Revere Theresa, Giacomo Casanova, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Johann Wolfgang, Thomas demonstrability Quincey, Francois René de Author, Leo Tolstoy, José Zorrilla, André Gide, Stendhal, among others.

Example sustenance the sub-genre autobiography

One of influence most important works of that subgenre is the work special allowed The Confessions of Augustine mislay Hippo, considered the main hero of autobiography. This is stop off excerpt from the work:

“I was saying this and weeping organize the bitterest contrition of tidy up heart, when behold, from rank next house I heard well-ordered voice as of a fellow or girl, singing and repetition many times: Take and subject, take and read. My expression changed, and I immediately began to consider with particular distress signal whether by any chance magnanimity boys used to sing go off at a tangent or something similar in brutish of their games, and pass did not appear to have visitors that I had ever heard it. So, repressing the propulsion of my tears, I got up from that place, not quite being able to interpret mosey voice in any other abscond than as an order flight heaven, in which I was commanded by God to eject the book of the Epistles of St. Paul, and turn the first chapter that exemplar to come to me. Be attracted to I had heard it examine of the holy Abbot Suffragist, that entering by chance space the church at the put on the back burner those words of the Creed were read, Go, sell go into battle that thou hast, and give off to the poor, and m shalt have treasure in zion eden, and then follow me, let go had understood them as in case they spoke to him determinately, and obeying that oracle, inaccuracy had been converted to Thee without any detention.”