Memoir: A History
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Yagoda, Ben, PUBLISHER: Riverhead Books, From a critically acclaimed cultural and literary critic, a definitive history and analysis ong>ofong> the ong>memoirong>. From Saint Augustine's "Confessions" to Augusten Burroughs's "Running ong>withong> Scissors," from Julius Caesar to Ulysses Grant, from Mark Twain to David Sedaris, the art ong>ofong> ong>memoirong> has had a fascinating life, and deserves its own biography. Cultural and literary critic Ben Yagoda traces the ong>memoirong> from its birth in early Christian writings and Roman generals' journals all the way up to the banner year ong>ofong> , which saw ong>memoirong>s from and about dogs, rock stars, bad dads, good dads, alternadads, waitresses, George Foreman, Iranian women, and a slew ong>ofong> other illustrious persons (and animals). In a time when ong>memoirong> seems ubiquitous and is still highly controversial, Yagoda tackles the autobiography and ong>memoirong> in all its forms and iterations. He discusses the fraudulent ong>memoirong> and provides many examples from the past-and aong>ddong>resses the ramifications and consequences ong>ofong> these books. Spanning decades and nations, styles and subjects, he analyzes the hallmark ong>memoirong>s ong>ofong> the Western tradition-Rousseau, Ben Franklin, Henry Adams, Gertrude Stein, Edward Gibbon, among others. Yagoda also describes historical trends, such as Native American captive ong>memoirong>s, slave narratives, courtier dramas (where one had to pay to NOT be included in a courtesan's ong>memoirong>). Throughout, the idea ong>ofong> memory and truth, how we remember and how well we remember lives, is intimately explored. Yagoda's elegant examination ong>ofong> ong>memoirong> is at once a history ong>ofong> literature and taste, and an absorbing glimpse into what humans find interesting-one another.