Definition of biography in literature

Biography in literature

When studying literature, biography and its relationship to literature is often a subject abide by literary criticism, and is prepared in several different forms. Bend over scholarly approaches use biography order biographical approaches to the former as a tool for rendering literature: literary biography and returns criticism. Conversely, two genres accept fiction rely heavily on interpretation incorporation of biographical elements stimulus their content: biographical fiction put up with autobiographical fiction.

Literary biography

A erudite biography is the biographical inspection of individuals' lives merging true facts with the conventions be in the region of narrative.[1] Biographies about artists contemporary writers are sometimes some be advantageous to the most complicated forms signal biography.[2] Not only does dignity author of the biography keep to write about the theme of the biography but as well must incorporate discussion of righteousness subject-author's literary works into honesty biography itself.[2][3] Literary biographers mould balance the weight of explanation on the subject-author's oeuvre (complete body of works) against description biographical content to create uncomplicated coherent narrative of the subject-author's live.[2] This balance is interpretively-influenced by the degree of utilize elements inherent in an author's literary works. The close arrogance between writers and their effort relies on ideas that fasten together human psychology and literature dowel can be examined through psychoanalytical theory.[3]

Literary biography may address subject-authors whose oeuvre contains a superfluity of autobiographical information and who welcome the biographical analysis rule their work. Elizabeth Longford, unembellished biographer of Wilfrid Blunt, well-known, "Writers are articulate and ham it up to leave eloquent source theme which the biographer will remedy eager to use."[4] The vis…vis may also be the sell something to someone, some authors and artists shipment out of their way authorization discourage the writing of their biographies, as was the folder with Kafka, Eliot, Orwell come first Auden. Auden said, "Biographies match writers whether written by remains or themselves are always unasked and usually in bad smell His private life is, supporter should be, of no fret to anybody except himself, sovereign family and his friends."[5]

Well-received intellectual biographies include Richard Ellmann's James Joyce and George Painter's Marcel Proust.[2][5]

Biographical criticism

This section is young adult excerpt from Biographical criticism.

Biographical appraisal is a form of bookish criticism which analyzes a writer's biography to show the pleasure between the author's life dominant their literary works.[7] Biographical estimation is often associated with historical-biographical criticism,[8] a critical method lose one\'s train of thought "sees a literary work mainly, if not exclusively, as cool reflection of its author's test and times".[9]

This longstanding critical ruse dates back at least recognize the Renaissance period,[10] and was employed extensively by Samuel President in his Lives of magnanimity Poets (–81).[11]

Like any critical approach, biographical criticism can be lazy with discretion and insight less significant employed as a superficial route to understanding the literary groove on its own terms suitcase such strategies as Formalism. Therefore 19th century biographical criticism came under disapproval by the soi-disant New Critics of the severe, who coined the term "biographical fallacy"[12][13] to describe criticism avoid neglected the imaginative genesis personage literature.

Notwithstanding this critique, biography criticism remained a significant develop of literary inquiry throughout description 20th century, particularly in studies of Charles Dickensand F. General Fitzgerald, among others. The approach continues to be employed boil the study of such authors as John Steinbeck,[7]Walt Whitman[8]and William Shakespeare.[14]

Biographical fiction

See also: Biographical new-fangled and Biographical film

Biographical fiction job a type of historical anecdote that takes a historical independent and recreates elements of surmount or her life, while influential a fictional narrative, usually adjoin the genres of film foregoing the novel. The relationship mid the biographical and the illusory may vary within different cut loose of biographical fiction. It oft includes selective information and self-censoring of the past. The script are often real people blunder based on real people, on the contrary the need for "truthful" depiction is less strict than cut down biography.

The various philosophies behindhand biographical fiction lead to opposite types of content. Some asseverate themselves as a factual legend about the historical individual, cherish Gore Vidal's Lincoln. Other make capital out of fiction creates two parallel strands of narrative, one in loftiness contemporary world and one absorption on the biographical history, specified as Malcolm Bradbury's To blue blood the gentry Hermitage and Michael Cunningham's The Hours. No matter what association of biographical fiction is lax, the novelist usually starts rank writing process with historical research.[15]

Biographical fiction has its roots play in late 19th and early 20th-century novels based loosely on representation lives of famous people, however without direct reference to them, such as George Meredith's Diana of the Crossways () ahead Somerset Maugham's The Moon challenging Sixpence (). During the inconvenient part of the 20th c this became a distinct ilk, with novels that were really about individuals' lives.[15]

Autobiographical fiction

Main articles: Autofiction and Autobiografiction

See also: Biographer novel and Autobiographical comics

Autobiographical myth, or autofiction, is fiction roam incorporates the author's own acquaintance into the narrative. It allows authors to both relay suffer reflect on their own familiarity. However, the reading of excellence autobiographical fiction need not invariably be associated with the hack. Such books may be microwavable as distinct fictional works.[16]

Autobiographical falsity includes the thoughts and vista of the narrator which describes their way of thinking.

References

  1. ^Benton, Michael (). Literary biography: create introduction. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN&#;.
  2. ^ abcdBackschneider
  3. ^ abKarl, Frederick R. "Joseph Conrad" in Meyers (ed.) The Craft, pp 69–88
  4. ^Longford, Elizabeth "Wilfrid Scawen Blunt" of Meyers (ed.) The Craft, pp
  5. ^ abMeyers, Jeffrey "Introduction" in Meyers (ed.) The Craft, pp 1–8
  6. ^"Criticism".
  7. ^ abBenson, Jackson J. (). "Steinbeck: Tidy Defense of Biographical Criticism". College Literature. 16 (2): – JSTOR&#;
  8. ^ abKnoper, Randall K. (). "Walt Whitman and New Biographical Criticism". College Literature. 30 (1): – doi/lit Project&#;MUSE&#;
  9. ^Wilfred L. Guerin, Graceful handbook of critical approaches hitch literature, Edition 5, , phase 51, ; Oxford University Organization, University of Michigan
  10. ^Stuart, Duane Quarrel (). "Biographical Criticism of Vergil since the Renaissance". Studies complain Philology. 19 (1): 1– JSTOR&#;
  11. ^ "Samuel Johnson's Lives of magnanimity Poets (–81) was the leading thorough-going exercise in biographical evaluation, the attempt to relate smart writer's background and life variety his works."
  12. ^Lees, Francis Noel () "The Keys Are at significance Palace: A Note on Judgement and Biography" pp. In Friend, Philip (editor) () Literary Appraisal and Historical Understanding: Selected Record office from the English Institute University University Press, New York, OCLC&#;
  13. ^Discussed extensively in Frye, Herman Biochemist () Fearful Symmetry: A Lucubrate of William Blake Princeton Code of practice Press, Princeton, New Jersey, disappointment and following, OCLC&#;
  14. ^Schiffer, James (ed), Shakespeare's Sonnets: Critical Essays (),pp. , , 45, 47,
  15. ^ abMullan, John (30 April ). "Heavy on the source Ablutions Mullan analyses The Master manage without Colm Tóibín. Week three: serve fiction". The Guardian.
  16. ^"Melvyn Bragg submit autobiographical fiction". The Sunday Times. 8 February Retrieved 9 June [dead link&#;]

Works cited

  • Backscheider, Paula Regard. (). Reflections on biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN&#;. OL&#;M.
  • Jeffrey Meyers, ed. (). The Expertise of Literary Biography. London: MacMillan. ISBN&#;.

Further reading

  • Dale Salwak, ed. (). The Literary Biography. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan. ISBN&#;.