The Culture of Autobiography: Constructions of Self-representation

Long neglected by critics and theorists, thought not by readers, autobiography is now beginning to receive the critical attention it deserves. Diverse tendencies in recent critical and cultural theory, from the use of linguistic and rhetorical models to an opposed emphasis of 'reality', have combined to give autobiography a new importance. The ten essays in this collection address from different vantage points the larger problems posed by the form and the question of its institutional and cultural marginality. Delving into the history, theory, and practice of autobiography, the essays address such current concerns as women's writings, minority autobiography, and non-Western writings.