ENG32760

This module introduces students to the capacious, various and innovative forms of life writing found in literary history. It takes a chronological approach, providing students with models of auto/bio/self writing from the classics onwards (Plutarch, Augustine). It looks in particular at questions of form and how these are altered and adapted to reflect and articulate new and challenging identities, political positions, or arguments. Students will gain a grounding in various types of life writing (confession, apologia, conversion narrative, redemption narrative, biography etc) and in a range of modes (diaries, letters, biographical entries, graphic novels) as well as considering the impact of life writings – who gets to speak, and how? To whom? What does it mean to use the personal to represent an idea, movement or community? What does life writing mean in a confessional age? Does writing create the self? What is the relationship between subjectivity and truth? We will also explore various types of memoir/auto-writing – nature memoir (Kerri ni Dochartaigh, e.g.), food memoir (Nigel Slater, Grace Dent, e.g.), coming out narrative; family history (John Lanchester, Jeanette Winterson); music memoir (Patti Smith; Keith Richards; Viv Albertine) etc.