Interpreting the Self: Two Hundred Years of American Autobiography

How do ways of explaining one's life vary over time? This text explores the historical nature of self-narrative by examining over 100 American autobiographies published in the last two centuries. Diane Bjorklund's study includes not only well-known autobiographers such as Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie but also many obscure ones such as a travelling book peddler, a minstrel, a hotel proprietress, an itinerant preacher, a West Point cadet, and a hoopskirt wire manufacturer. Paying attention to the historical and cultural context of each autobiography, the author shows how different understandings of the self developed. For example, we encounter religious autobiographies (the largest category of self-narrative from 1800-1930), Horatio Alger-style success stories, tales of psychological conflict, and tales of society's influence on an individual. Through Bjorklund's examination of these accounts, the reader should be able to see the many different ways American writers approach complicated issues of human nature.