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2 James Olney’s Autobiography: Metaphor of Self Prof. (Dr.) Mosam Sinha www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Autobiography 3 • An autobiography can be literally defined as a life story of any person which is self-written. • It is different from a biography, which is the life story of particular person written by someone else. • Some people may have their life story which is written by some other person because they don’t believe they can write well, but they are still considered an author because they are providing the information. • Reading autobiographies may be more interesting than biographies because you are reading the thoughts of that particular person instead of someone else’s interpretation. • The autobiography concept is recent date idea, and the term ‘autobiography’ was firstly used by Robert Southey who was poet in 1809. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Autobiography 4 All right are reserved with CU-IDOL Autobiographies are written to…. • Leave some message to the future generations • Transfer your heritage • Put closure to a period or episode • Process experiences • Conserve the family history • Disclose what and also who you are www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607)
Types of 5 Autobiographies Autobiography is broadly classified into four types. They are, (i) thematic (ii) (ii) religious (iii) (iii) intellectual (iv) (iv) fictionalized www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Other Types of 6 AutobiographiesFull Autobiography (Traditional) This would be the complete life story, starting from birth through childhood, young adulthood, and up to the present time at which the book is being written. Authors might choose this if their whole lives were very different from others and could be considered interesting. Memoir There are many types of memoirs – place, time, philosophic (their theory on life), occupational, etc. Memoir is a snapshot of a one’s life. It focuses on one specific part that stands out as a learning experience or worth sharing. Psychological Illness People who have suffered mental illness of any kind find it healing to write down their thoughts. Therapists are specialists who listen to people’s problems and provide help and thereby feel good, but many people find writing down their story is also helpful. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Other Types of 7 Confession Autobiographies Just as people share a psychological illness, people who have done something very wrong may find it helpful to write down and share their story. Sharing the story may make one feel he or she is making amends (making things right), or perhaps hopes that others will learn and avoid the same mistake. Spiritual Spiritual and religious experiences are very personal. However, many people feel that it’s their duty and honour to share these stories. They may hope to pull others into their beliefs or simply improve others’ lives. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Other Types of 8 Overcoming Adversity Autobiographies •Unfortunately, many people do not have happy, shining lives. Terrible events such as robberies, assaults, kidnappings, murders, horrific accidents, and life-threatening illnesses are common in some lives. •Sharing the story can inspire others while also helping the person express deep emotions to heal. •Autobiographies are an important part of history. By reading any person’s own ideas and life stories is getting the first-person story against the third person (he-said/shesaid) version. •In journalism, reporters reach to the source to get an accurate account of an event. The same is right for life stories. Reading the story from a second or third source will not be as reliable. The writer may be incorrectly explaining and describing the one’s life events. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Importance of Autobiographies 9 •Autobiographies are also important because they allow other people in similar circumstances realize that they are surrounded by many people. •They inspire those people who have similar problems faced by them. •By writing an auto biography, the author helps them to get healed since they open up their opinions and their feelings. •Autobiographies are very much an important part in history. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
ABOUT JAMES OLNEY 10 •James Fred Olney (1 August 1914 – 14 September 1944), an English professional footballer who has played for Swindon Town and Birmingham Football League. • He played in local areas before getting selected to First Division club Birmingham in May 1936. •He made his debut in 1935– 36 season’s last game but got defeated by goal margin 3–1 against West Bromwich Albion. He played another two more matches during the following season and played at centre half for Tom Fillingham, but his style was too similar to that of Fillingham. • In December 1938 he has shifted to Third Division South club Swindon Town. • He played ten games at left-half what remained of 1938–39 season, and the initial three games of next season has called off due to Second World War. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
ABOUT JAMES OLNEY 11 •Olney was killed while serving as Lance-Serjeant in 5th Battalion Coldstream Guards on 14th September 1944 at his thirties. •He is buried and commemorated in Geel War Cemetery and County Ground, Swindon, respectively. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
ABOUT ‘THE THEORY OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY’ 12 •As literary art autobiography makes selection of life events with motive of the author or writer. •Man’s life is longer than his autobiography. • Human life is crowded with so many insignificant and routine activities such as daily wash, shaving etc. •Autobiographer has to drop out such insignificant events. •Autobiography makes a deliberate selection of events in proper self-revelation and documentation autobiography. • An autobiographer has to restrict himself almost exclusively to salient events, actions and traits. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
ABOUT ‘THE THEORY OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY’ 13 •For drawing his effective character-sketch, some events are trivial or in significant for others but have important contribution to shape the protagonist’s personality. •Similarly, artistic arrangement of real events is required in autobiography. After selecting the events to position in proper organic order and shape is further task for autobiographer. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
The Key Elements of Autobiography 14 1. Selection of Events 2. Truth 3. Subjectivity & Objectivity 4. Self as 'the center‘ 5. Self-Revelation 6. Documentation www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Types of Autobiographies with 15 Examples • The thematic type includes books which had diverse purposes. Examples are “The Americanization” of Edward Bok in 1920 and Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf in 1925, 1927. • Religious autobiography has accounted for large number of very great literary works which range from Augustine and Kempe to autobiographical works of Sartor Resartus written by Thomas Carlyle and Apologia written by John Henry Cardinal Newman in 19th century. • 19th Century and early 20th century had seen the origin of many intellectual autobiographies such as philosopher John Stuart Mill and The Education of Henry Adams. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Types of Autobiographies with 16 Examples • The work which is more analogous to novel can be biography. The autobiography which is little bit transformed and disguised to novel. • This set includes the works such as James Joyce’s “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” of 1916, Samuel Butler’s “The Way of All Flesh” of 1903, George Santayana’s “The Last Puritan” of 1935, and works of Thomas Wolfe. • But all these mentioned works can detect four types of elements; the outstanding autobiographies often ride roughshod over these distinctions. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
THE METAPHOR OF THE SELF: THE 17 MEANING OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY •James Olney examines the writings of seven men--Montaigne, Jung, George Fox, Darwin, Newman, Mills, and Eliot--and have traced the very unique and essential autobiographical impulse which make it alive in real sense, published in 1981. • The Princeton Legacy Library uses technology such as print-on which helps the old out-of-print books to be available from Princeton University press. •These editions help preserving the original texts belong to important books when presenting in durable hardcover paperback editions. •The main aim of Princeton Legacy Library includes increase access to the rich heritage which is found in books published by Princeton University Press after 1905. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
THE METAPHOR OF THE SELF: THE 18 MEANING OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY •The autobiography works were told as long-time exemplar debate about if human being carries a transcendental self which is given by language, or if human beings create and works with others using language. • The autobiography which considered as written record of biographical true-life facts, feels like testing ground of rhetorical presentation of historical self when either tries capturing and confining in the hard bound copy pages known by My Entire Life in Three Hundred Pages, a transcendental Self which is neither capturable nor confineable. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
THE METAPHOR OF THE SELF: THE 19 MEANING OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY •According to James Olney’s Metaphors about the Self: “The Meaning of Autobiography”, he thinks the self is very evidenced for metaphor man which appropriate or access each days’ life, and which an autobiography is example of metaphor self, but not the complete recollection but which fluidize to Self. •Olney’s concept of metaphors of self which is a very useful theme when look at Frederick Douglass's “Narrative of the Life”: An American slave. •Within the Douglass's autobiography has recreated historical self and collective spirit of race by knowing specular metaphors which express the deep sentiments regarding his freedom of black people and slavery horrors and enlightenment. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
THE METAPHOR OF THE SELF: THE 20 MEANING OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY Like other slave narrators, Douglass has recounted not only physical flight against slavery to freedom. He recounts his intellectual transformation and flight to literacy. This shifting from ignorance to knowledge finds most liberating and good experiences of one’s life and was to truly possess a Self or Being. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
SALIENT FEATURES OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY 21 •An autobiography is defined as one person’s life who is written by herself. • The work is personal since writer is in head-charge of exposing his life details. •This is literary wording of life experiences. •The main function that autobiography fulfils the one which allows to feel the vital experiences of writer from his own perspective. •It is literary genre which lies on border between literature and history. •The autobiography must cover certain points. •One should allow all the data which is considered important. It happened as personal, including essential information such as name, age, date of birth, place of residence, etc. •Within the personal information that is included it must be mentioned to family where the brothers and sisters, the people that mark the main things. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
SALIENT FEATURES OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY 22 Non-fiction Writing •The autobiography pact is established among ardent reader and author, where everything that is related is true. •The writer in this work has absolute freedom that expresses his ideas or feelings about such events and how influenced him. Relates the Life of The Author •It can be considered a totally intimate confession in which writer narrates his most personal secrets. • It analyses all the facts that happened during a life, and so many cases to put in perspective of what has lived. •The autobiography is characterized as writer, who is a narrator, is protagonist of the stories that are narrated. The writer is considered as centre of the work as he is telling his own story. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
SALIENT FEATURES OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY 23 Without Fixed Structure •The autobiography is described by not having a fixed structure. Each writer chooses his own structure, doesn’t requires follow a chronological order to narrate the facts happened. Formal or Informal Language •In autobiography the writer can choose the language which he requires. •One can choose the right type of language that best suits you to express yourself and tell your life. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
SALIENT FEATURES OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY 24 Tone One can choose tone in which to write biography and must be melodramatic tone where the events that happen to writer are unfortunate. •A humorous tone, where the story is presented from a laughing or comical way. •An ironic tone, where an idea is expressed by saying the opposite, but ardent reader understands well which is an irony. • Sarcastic tone: where the narrations reflect dis-respect, where sarcasm is cruel mockery. Heroic tone: where the author or writer has a very strong personality and develops from the dangers that arise. •Nostalgic tone: where pleasant experiences are evoked and remembered with a lost happiness. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
SALIENT FEATURES OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY 25 Focuses on Life • The autobiography which describe and narrate the whole author’s life. •Unlike memories that focus more on very particular stage or event. •For such reason, the autobiography is more complete, since not placed in a limited time period and hasn’t fixed rule, the author does not always remember all the moments of his life, in addition he can choose which to include in his task or not. Draw Conclusions and Learnings •The autobiographies serve to draw conclusions from people’s lives, which serve as an exercise of interiorization where they discover, and they have followed until arriving at the location where they are. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Conclusion 26 •The autobiography concept is recent date idea, and the term ‘autobiography’ was firstly used by Robert Southey who was poet in 1809 in The English periodical, Quarterly Review. • Reading autobiographies might be looking interesting than biographies because you are very much reading the thoughts of very person instead of someone’s interpretation. • Autobiography is very rare and distinct creative literary art. It was originated from the human being’s desire to keep one’s memorial with the passage of time. • Autobiography is not life story which is discovery or recreation of one. In writing one's experience, one will discover oneself and create pattern which have lived. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Conclusion 27 •The autobiography which considered as a literary genre that signifies a retrospective narrative of writer’s or author’s own life and substantial part is reconstructed to display his/her personal developments within the framework of social, historical, cultural activities. • Autobiography, which is one of most important, most popular literature forms in 20th century. It displays the ‘self-expression’ mode. • M.H. Abrams in his A Glossary of Literary Terms, Lee T. Lemon in his A Glossary for Study has commented “autobiography must attempt to survey, in retrospective mood, a considerable portion of life, if not an entire life, and it must take the form of an ordered narrative, with deliberate selection and shaping of material (though not constructed as fiction) to compose an artistic whole.” www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Conclusion 28 •Typically, autobiography is divided into four types as religious, thematic, intellectual, and fictionalized. •The first type of grouping have books of diverse purposes as The Americanization of Edward Bok of 1920 and Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf of 1925, 1927. •Olney was born in Greet, Birmingham. He has played football in First Division club Birmingham in May 1936. • As a literary art autobiography makes selection of events in accordance with motive of the author. Man’s life is longer than his autobiography. Human life is crowded with so many insignificant and routine activities such as daily wash, shaving etc. Autobiographer has to drop out such insignificant events. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
Conclusion 29 •The Theory of Autobiography shows that it makes a deliberate selection of events so that there is a proper self-revelation and documentation autobiography. An autobiographer has to restrict himself almost exclusively to salient events, actions and traits. • In ‘Metaphor of the Self’, James Olney examines the writings of seven men-- Montaigne, Jung, George Fox, Darwin, Newman, Mills, and Eliot--and traces the essential and unique autobiographical impulse, and in real sense makes it live. www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
30 THANK YOU www.cuidol.in Unit-1(MAP-607) All right are reserved with CU-IDOL
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