C h a p t e r 1 7
Autobiographical Sketch
B
y definition, an autobiography is the story of the writer’s life. Unlike a biography,
in which a writer researches and reports on someone else’s life, the autobiogra-
phy reveals what the writer chooses to tell about himself or herself. An autobiogra-
phy, however, unless it is book length, does not tell about the writer’s life from birth
to present; rather, it focuses on some significant event, object, or person that reveals
something important about the writer. An autobiographical sketch may be as short as
a paragraph or as long as a book. Whatever its length, however, it should read like a
good piece of nonfiction, even a good short story, but certainly not like a list of events.
cHaracteristics
Most commonly, an autobiography includes a rather definite set of characteristics.
An autobiography
-^ reveals an understanding of one or more personality traits of the writer,
-^ limits itself, unless of book length, to describing a particular event, object, or
person that has influenced the writer,
- explains,^ perhaps^ indirectly,^ the^ effect^ or^ result^ of^ the^ influence^ [see Chapter 6,
Cause and Effect],
-^ reads almost like fiction, certainly maintains interest, and maybe even provokes,
-^ may follow the same characteristics as a narrative [see Chapter 11, Narration],
-^ often includes many characteristics of good fiction: setting, plot, characters,
flashback, figurative language, symbolism, and so on. [See setting, plot,
characterization, flashback, figure of speech, and symbol in the Glossary],
-^ includes dialogue, as necessary or as it enhances the telling of the story [see
Chapter 22,Dialogue], and
-^ permits the writer’s unique style to offer additional subtle self-revelations.
Process
Assuming that you are developing a multi-paragraph autobiography, use these steps
to plan and develop your paper.