Concept
Autobiography
Overview
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share their unique perspectives and stories, offering readers a glimpse into the author's personal journey and the historical or cultural context in which they lived.
The term "autobiography" was first used in 1797, but the practice of writing about one's life dates back to antiquity. Early examples include Saint Augustine's Confessions (c. 400), which is considered one of the first Western autobiographies. Unlike biographies, which are written by someone else, autobiographies are based on the author's memory and personal interpretation of events, making them inherently subjective. This subjectivity can sometimes lead to inaccuracies or embellishments, as the author may recall events differently or choose to present them in a certain light.
Autobiographies can take various forms, including memoirs, spiritual autobiographies, and fictional autobiographies. Memoirs typically focus on specific memories or themes from the author's life, rather than providing a comprehensive account. Spiritual autobiographies, such as Augustine's Confessions, detail the author's religious journey and spiritual growth. Fictional autobiographies, on the other hand, are novels written in the first person, presenting a fictional character's life as if it were an autobiography.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
Found by search and not yet checked by a person; they may only mention the idea in passing.
It seems proper that I should prefix to the following biographical sketch some mention of the reasons which have made me think it desirable that I should leave behind me such a memorial of so uneventful a life as mine. I do not for a moment imagine that any part of what I have to relate can be interesting to the public as a narrative or as being connected with myself. But I have thought that in an age in which…
John Stuart Mill, Autobiography
States what Autobiography is; the book is titled for Autobiography.
Now, language is such a contrivance. When that instrument is called to our aid, the difficulty is reduced to that of making our remembrance of the meaning of words accurate. This being secured, whatever passes through our minds may be remembered accurately, by putting it carefully into words, and committing the words either to writing or to memory.
John Stuart Mill, A System of Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive
States what Autobiography is; the author is tied to Autobiography in the knowledge graph.
And the reasoning (speaking) soul, if it engages itself upon the sciences, its activity is called mind or intellect, and it is accordingly called speculative or theoretical mind: which I have already described. And if it engages itself upon overcoming blameworthy powers, that entice unto wrongdoing through their excess, unto folly through their abandonment, unto impetuosity through their agitation, unto cowardice…
Avicenna, A Compendium on the Soul
States what Autobiography is; the author is tied to Autobiography in the knowledge graph.
Philosophers who discussed Autobiography
- Avicenna
- Julian Huxley
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- George Santayana
- Thomas Sowell
- Augustine of Hippo
- John Cowper Powys
- C. S. Lewis
- Hu Shih
- Emma Goldman
- James Feibleman
- Georg Misch
Related ideas
- Greek language
- Harvard University Press
- Gerolamo Cardano
- Hedonism
- Hindi
- Al-Ghazali
- Holy Land
- John Stuart Mill
- Julius Caesar
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Middle Ages
- Manichaeism
- Augustine of Hippo
- South Asia
- Oxford English Dictionary
- Ghostwriter
- Platonic Academy
- Mughal Empire
- Rome
- Renaissance
- Romanticism
- Stendhal
- Spanish language
- Peter Abelard
Place in the tradition
Part of Philosophical skepticism.