A memoir (/ˈmɛm.wɑːr/;[1] from French mémoire[me.mwaʁ], from Latin memoria 'memory, remembrance') is any nonfictionnarrative writing based in the author's personal memories.[2][3] The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiography since the late 20th century, the genre is differentiated in form, presenting a narrowed focus, usually a particular time phase in someone's life or career. A biography or autobiography tells the story "of a life", while a memoir often tells the story of a particular, career, event, or time, such as touchstone moments and turning points from the author's life. The author of a memoir may be referred to as a memoirist or a memorialist.
Memoirs have been written since the ancient times, as shown by Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico, also known as Commentaries on the Gallic Wars. In the work, Caesar describes the battles that took place during the nine years that he spent fighting local armies in the Gallic Wars. His second memoir, Commentarii de Bello Civili (or Commentaries on the Civil War) is an account of the events that took place between 49 and 48 BC in the civil war against Gnaeus Pompeius and the Senate. The noted Libanius, teacher of rhetoric who lived between an estimated 314 and 394 AD, framed his life memoir as one of his literary orations, which were written to be read aloud in the privacy of his study. This kind of memoir refers to the idea in ancient Greece and Rome, that memoirs were like "memos", or pieces of unfinished and unpublished writing, which a writer might use as a memory aid to make a more finished document later on.
An excerpt from the manuscript "Memoires on Napoleon's campaigns, experienced as a soldier of the second regiment", written by Joseph Abbeel, 1805-1815.[6]
Over the latter half of the 18th through the mid-20th century, memoirists generally included those who were noted within their chosen profession. These authors wrote as a way to record and publish their own account of their public exploits. Authors included politicians or people in court society and were later joined by military leaders and businessmen. An exception to these models is Henry David Thoreau's 1854 memoir Walden, which presents his experiences over the course of two years in a cabin he built near Walden Pond.
In the early 1990s, memoirs written by ordinary people experienced a sudden upsurge, as an increasing number of people realized that their ancestors’ and their own stories were about to disappear, in part as a result of the opportunities and distractions of technological advances. At the same time, psychology and other research began to show that familiarity with genealogy helps people find their place in the world and that life review helps people come to terms with their own past.[7]
With the advent of inexpensive digital book production in the first decade of the 21st century,[8] the genre exploded. Memoirs written as a way to pass down a personal legacy, rather than as a literary work of art or historical document, are emerging as a personal and family responsibility.[9]
The Association of Personal Historians was a trade association for professionals who assisted individuals, families, and organizations in documenting their life stories.[10] It dissolved in 2017.
Collections
With the expressed interest of preserving history through the eyes of those who lived it, some organizations work with potential memoirists to bring their work to fruition. The Veterans History Project, for example, compiles the memoirs of those who have served in a branch of the United States Armed Forces – especially those who have seen active combat.[11]
Academia
The term 'memoir' has been used in an academic context to describe an essay on a learned subject. Examples include explanatory texts accompanying geologic maps.[12]
^(in French) Viennot, Éliane, Marguerite de Valois et l'écriture de l'histoire, 1574-1614, Études Épistémè, 17, spring 2010.
^Saintsbury, George (1911). "Saint-Simon, Louis de Rouvroy, Duc de" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 47–48.
^"Gedenkschriften over Napoleon's veldtochten, meegemaakt als soldaat bij het 2e regiment carabiniers te paard, 1805-1815". lib.ugent.be. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
^Ledoux, Denis (2006). Turning Memories Into Memoirs: A Handbook for Writing LIfestories. Writer. ISBN978-0974277349.
^Henke, Harold (2001). Electronic Books and ePublishing: A Practical Guide for Authors. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN978-1852334352. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
^Balzer, Paula (2011). Writing & Selling Your Memoir: How to Craft Your Life Story So That Somebody Else Will Actually Want to Read It. Writer. ISBN978-1599631356. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
^Wright, Chris (2002-01-17). "Ordinary people". The Phoenix. Phoenix Media/Communications Group.
^"Veterans History Project (Library of Congress)". loc.gov.
^Milne, Geoffrey; Beckley, Verey Alfred; Jones, Gwilym Howell Gethin; Wallace, Stanley Martin; Griffith, Goronwy; Raymond, Leonard William (October 1936). "A Provisional Soil Map of East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, and Zanzibar) with Explanatory Memoir". Soil Science. 42 (4): 317. Bibcode:1936SoilS..42..317M. doi:10.1097/00010694-193610000-00018. OCLC 6022506.
Further reading
"What Is a Memoir?". Celadon Books. 2019-09-06. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
"How to Start Writing a Memoir: 14 Tips for Starting Your Memoir". Writer's Hive Media. 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
"So You Think You Can Write a Memoir?". Columbia Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Memoirs.
Look up memoir in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
March 17, 2023
memoir, this, article, about, literary, genre, other, uses, disambiguation, memoir, ɑːr, from, french, mémoire, mwaʁ, from, latin, memoria, memory, remembrance, nonfiction, narrative, writing, based, author, personal, memories, assertions, made, work, thus, un. This article is about the literary genre For other uses see Memoir disambiguation A memoir ˈ m ɛ m w ɑːr 1 from French memoire me mwaʁ from Latin memoria memory remembrance is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author s personal memories 2 3 The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiography since the late 20th century the genre is differentiated in form presenting a narrowed focus usually a particular time phase in someone s life or career A biography or autobiography tells the story of a life while a memoir often tells the story of a particular career event or time such as touchstone moments and turning points from the author s life The author of a memoir may be referred to as a memoirist or a memorialist Title page of Henry Thoreau s memoir Walden 1854 Contents 1 Early memoirs 2 From the eighteenth century 3 Memoirs today 4 Collections 5 Academia 6 See also 7 References 8 Further readingEarly memoirs EditMemoirs have been written since the ancient times as shown by Julius Caesar s Commentarii de Bello Gallico also known as Commentaries on the Gallic Wars In the work Caesar describes the battles that took place during the nine years that he spent fighting local armies in the Gallic Wars His second memoir Commentarii de Bello Civili or Commentaries on the Civil War is an account of the events that took place between 49 and 48 BC in the civil war against Gnaeus Pompeius and the Senate The noted Libanius teacher of rhetoric who lived between an estimated 314 and 394 AD framed his life memoir as one of his literary orations which were written to be read aloud in the privacy of his study This kind of memoir refers to the idea in ancient Greece and Rome that memoirs were like memos or pieces of unfinished and unpublished writing which a writer might use as a memory aid to make a more finished document later on The Sarashina Nikki is an example of an early Japanese memoir written in the Heian period A genre of book writing Nikki Bungaku emerged during this time In the Middle Ages Geoffrey of Villehardouin Jean de Joinville and Philippe de Commines wrote memoirs while the genre was represented toward the end of the Renaissance through the works of Blaise de Montluc and Margaret of Valois that she was the first woman to write her Memoirs in modern style 4 Until the Age of Enlightenment encompassing the 17th and 18th centuries works of memoir were written by Anthony Ashley Cooper 1st Earl of Shaftesbury Francois de La Rochefoucauld Prince de Marcillac of France and Louis de Rouvroy duc de Saint Simon who wrote Memoirs at his family s home at the castle of La Ferte Vidame While Saint Simon was considered a writer possessing a high level of skill for narrative and character development it wasn t until well after his death that his work as a memoirist was recognized resulting in literary fame 5 From the eighteenth century Edit An excerpt from the manuscript Memoires on Napoleon s campaigns experienced as a soldier of the second regiment written by Joseph Abbeel 1805 1815 6 Over the latter half of the 18th through the mid 20th century memoirists generally included those who were noted within their chosen profession These authors wrote as a way to record and publish their own account of their public exploits Authors included politicians or people in court society and were later joined by military leaders and businessmen An exception to these models is Henry David Thoreau s 1854 memoir Walden which presents his experiences over the course of two years in a cabin he built near Walden Pond Twentieth century war memoirs became a genre of their own including from the First World War Ernst Junger Storm of Steel and Frederic Manning s Her Privates We Memoirs documenting incarceration by Nazi Germany during the war include Primo Levi s If This Is a Man which covers his arrest as a member of the Italian Resistance Movement followed by his life as a prisoner in Auschwitz and Elie Wiesel s Night which is based on his life prior to and during his time in the Auschwitz Buna Werke and Buchenwald concentration camps Memoirs today EditIn the early 1990s memoirs written by ordinary people experienced a sudden upsurge as an increasing number of people realized that their ancestors and their own stories were about to disappear in part as a result of the opportunities and distractions of technological advances At the same time psychology and other research began to show that familiarity with genealogy helps people find their place in the world and that life review helps people come to terms with their own past 7 With the advent of inexpensive digital book production in the first decade of the 21st century 8 the genre exploded Memoirs written as a way to pass down a personal legacy rather than as a literary work of art or historical document are emerging as a personal and family responsibility 9 The Association of Personal Historians was a trade association for professionals who assisted individuals families and organizations in documenting their life stories 10 It dissolved in 2017 Collections EditWith the expressed interest of preserving history through the eyes of those who lived it some organizations work with potential memoirists to bring their work to fruition The Veterans History Project for example compiles the memoirs of those who have served in a branch of the United States Armed Forces especially those who have seen active combat 11 Academia EditThe term memoir has been used in an academic context to describe an essay on a learned subject Examples include explanatory texts accompanying geologic maps 12 See also Edit Biography portal Books portalDiary Fake memoirs Graphic memoir Histoire de ma vie Last will and testamentReferences Edit memoir Oxford Learner s Dictionaries Oxford University Press memoir Merriam Webster Dictionary Retrieved July 5 2015 memoir Lexico UK English Dictionary Oxford University Press Archived from the original on 2019 12 22 in French Viennot Eliane Marguerite de Valois et l ecriture de l histoire 1574 1614 Etudes Episteme 17 spring 2010 Saintsbury George 1911 Saint Simon Louis de Rouvroy Duc de In Chisholm Hugh ed Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 24 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 47 48 Gedenkschriften over Napoleon s veldtochten meegemaakt als soldaat bij het 2e regiment carabiniers te paard 1805 1815 lib ugent be Retrieved 2020 08 28 Ledoux Denis 2006 Turning Memories Into Memoirs A Handbook for Writing LIfestories Writer ISBN 978 0974277349 Henke Harold 2001 Electronic Books and ePublishing A Practical Guide for Authors Springer Science amp Business Media ISBN 978 1852334352 Retrieved 2014 12 12 Balzer Paula 2011 Writing amp Selling Your Memoir How to Craft Your Life Story So That Somebody Else Will Actually Want to Read It Writer ISBN 978 1599631356 Retrieved 2019 08 28 Wright Chris 2002 01 17 Ordinary people The Phoenix Phoenix Media Communications Group Veterans History Project Library of Congress loc gov Milne Geoffrey Beckley Verey Alfred Jones Gwilym Howell Gethin Wallace Stanley Martin Griffith Goronwy Raymond Leonard William October 1936 A Provisional Soil Map of East Africa Kenya Uganda Tanganyika and Zanzibar with Explanatory Memoir Soil Science 42 4 317 Bibcode 1936SoilS 42 317M doi 10 1097 00010694 193610000 00018 OCLC 6022506 Further reading Edit What Is a Memoir Celadon Books 2019 09 06 Retrieved 2022 06 30 How to Start Writing a Memoir 14 Tips for Starting Your Memoir Writer s Hive Media 2022 06 17 Retrieved 2022 06 30 So You Think You Can Write a Memoir Columbia Magazine Retrieved 2022 06 30 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Memoirs Look up memoir in Wiktionary the free dictionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Memoir amp oldid 1131674250, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
