An autobiographical novel, also known as a autobiographical fiction, fictional autobiography, or autobiographical fiction novel, is a type of novel which uses autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from a typical autobiography or memoir by being a work of fiction presented in the same fashion as a typical non-fiction autobiography by "imitating the conventions of an autobiography."[1]
Because an autobiographical novel is partially fiction, the author does not ask the reader to expect the text to fulfill the "autobiographical pact".[2] Names and locations are often changed and events are recreated to make them more dramatic but the story still bears a close resemblance to that of the author's life. While the events of the author's life are recounted, there is no pretense of exact truth. Events may be exaggerated or altered for artistic or thematic purposes.[3]
Novels that portray settings and/or situations with which the author is familiar are not necessarily autobiographical. Neither are novels that include aspects drawn from the author's life as minor plot details. To be considered an autobiographical novel by most standards, there must be a protagonist modeled after the author and a central plotline that mirrors events in their life.
Novels that do not fully meet these requirements or are further distanced from true events are sometimes called semi-autobiographical novels. [citation needed]
Many novels about intense, private experiences such as war, family conflict or sex, are written as autobiographical novels.[clarification needed]
Some works openly refer to themselves as "non-fiction novels". The definition of such works remains vague. The term was first widely used in reference to the non-autobiographical In Cold Blood[citation needed] by Truman Capote but has since become associated with a range of works drawing openly from autobiography. The emphasis is on the creation of a work that is essentially true, often in the context of an investigation into values or some other aspect of reality. The books Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig and The Tao of Muhammad Ali by Davis Miller open with statements admitting to some fictionalising of events but state they are true "in essence".
^Sean Glatch (2021). "WHAT IS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL FICTION? AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GENRE". Writers.com. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
January 01, 1970
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Autobiographical novel news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2024 Learn how and when to remove this message An autobiographical novel also known as a autobiographical fiction fictional autobiography or autobiographical fiction novel is a type of novel which uses autofiction techniques or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements The literary technique is distinguished from a typical autobiography or memoir by being a work of fiction presented in the same fashion as a typical non fiction autobiography by imitating the conventions of an autobiography 1 Because an autobiographical novel is partially fiction the author does not ask the reader to expect the text to fulfill the autobiographical pact 2 Names and locations are often changed and events are recreated to make them more dramatic but the story still bears a close resemblance to that of the author s life While the events of the author s life are recounted there is no pretense of exact truth Events may be exaggerated or altered for artistic or thematic purposes 3 Novels that portray settings and or situations with which the author is familiar are not necessarily autobiographical Neither are novels that include aspects drawn from the author s life as minor plot details To be considered an autobiographical novel by most standards there must be a protagonist modeled after the author and a central plotline that mirrors events in their life Novels that do not fully meet these requirements or are further distanced from true events are sometimes called semi autobiographical novels citation needed Many novels about intense private experiences such as war family conflict or sex are written as autobiographical novels clarification needed Some works openly refer to themselves as non fiction novels The definition of such works remains vague The term was first widely used in reference to the non autobiographical In Cold Blood citation needed by Truman Capote but has since become associated with a range of works drawing openly from autobiography The emphasis is on the creation of a work that is essentially true often in the context of an investigation into values or some other aspect of reality The books Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M Pirsig and The Tao of Muhammad Ali by Davis Miller open with statements admitting to some fictionalising of events but state they are true in essence Contents 1 Notable autobiographical novels 2 See also 3 Notes 4 ReferencesNotable autobiographical novels editSee also Category Autobiographical novels Author Title Year James Agee A Death in the Family 1957 Louisa May Alcott Little Women 1868 Sherman Alexie The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian 2007 Maya Angelou I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1969 James Baldwin Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953 J G Ballard Empire of the Sun 1984 John Barth Once Upon a Time A Floating Opera 1994 Saul Bellow The Adventures of Augie March 1953 George Borrow Lavengro The Scholar the Gypsy the Priest 1851 Charlotte Bronte Villette 1853 Rita Mae Brown Rubyfruit Jungle 1973 Charles Bukowski Post Office 1971 William S Burroughs Junkie 1953 Samuel Butler The Way of All Flesh 1903 Louis Ferdinand Celine Journey to the End of the Night 1932 J M Coetzee Boyhood Scenes from Provincial Life 1997 J M Coetzee Youth Scenes from Provincial Life II 2002 J M Coetzee Summertime 2009 Charles Dickens David Copperfield 1850 Charles Dickens Great Expectations 1861 Nodar Dumbadze Granny Iliko Illarion and I 1960 Nodar Dumbadze The Sunny Night 1967 Marguerite Duras The Lover 1984 George Eliot The Mill on the Floss 1860 Ralph Ellison Invisible Man 1952 Frederick Exley A Fan s Notes 1967 F Scott Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise 1920 James Frey A Million Little Pieces a 2003 James Frey My Friend Leonard b 2005 Jean Genet The Thief s Journal 1949 Jean Genet Our Lady of the Flowers 1943 John Green Looking for Alaska 2005 Graham Greene The End of the Affair 1951 Ernest Hemingway A Farewell to Arms 1929 Homer Hickam October Sky 1998 Thomas Hughes Tom Brown s School Days 1857 James Joyce A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 1916 Jack Kerouac On the Road 1957 Jack Kerouac The Dharma Bums 1958 Imre Kertesz Fatelessness 1975 Karl Ove Knausgard My Struggle series 2009 2011 D H Lawrence Sons and Lovers 1913 Tao Lin Richard Yates 2010 Jack London John Barleycorn 1913 Fitz Hugh Ludlow The Hasheesh Eater 1857 Norman Maclean A River Runs Through It and Other Stories 1976 W Somerset Maugham Of Human Bondage 1915 Henry Miller Tropic of Cancer 1934 Henry Miller Tropic of Capricorn 1939 Davis Miller The Tao of Muhammad Ali 1996 Sandy Mitchell Ciaphas Cain 2003 Tim O Brien The Things They Carried 1990 Kenzaburō Ōe A Personal Matter 1964 Robert M Pirsig Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance 1973 Sylvia Plath The Bell Jar 1963 Marcel Proust In Search of Lost Time c 1927 Gregory David Roberts Shantaram 2003 Mona Simpson Anywhere but Here 1986 Gertrude Stein The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas 1933 Hunter S Thompson Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 1971 Leo Tolstoy Childhood 1852 Leo Tolstoy Boyhood 1854 Leo Tolstoy Youth 1856 Denton Welch A Voice Through a Cloud 1950 Denton Welch Maiden Voyage 1943 Elie Wiesel Night d 1958 Jeanette Winterson Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit 1985 Thomas Wolfe Of Time and the River 1935 Thomas Wolfe Look Homeward Angel 1929 Annie Ernaux Happening 2000 Tobias Wolff Old School e 2003 Annie Ernaux The Years 2008See also editAutofiction Autobiografiction Biography in literature Roman a clefNotes edit A Million Little Pieces was marketed as a memoir before a media controversy questioned its accuracy My Friend Leonard was marketed as a memoir before a media controversy questioned its accuracy Also known as Remembrance of Things Past Night is sometimes considered an autobiographical novel although it is classified as a memoir by the author Old School is loosely based on Wolff s life although it is more novel than biographyReferences edit Hans Vandevoorde 2019 3 20 Fictional Autobiography pp 603 610 doi 10 1515 9783110279818 076 ISBN 978 3 11 027981 8 Retrieved 10 April 2024 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a website ignored help Philippe Lejeune Autobiographical Pact pg 19 Sean Glatch 2021 WHAT IS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL FICTION AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GENRE Writers com Retrieved 10 April 2024 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Autobiographical novel amp oldid 1221748922, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
