Biographical Nonfiction

Biographical studies give and develop

• Historical background/context• Characteristics and traits of subject• Skills associated with the person’s

role• Details to develop a central point

about that person’s role (often an implied thesis)

• Impact felt by others

Content• Facts and artifacts

– Evidence is collected from multiple sources•Interviews, researched essays, photos,

documents• Anecdotes

– An anecdote is a story that illustrates a point– Anecdotal evidence has literary/story qualities

• 1st hand accounts • Opinion statements

Style• Journalistic (fairly unbiased) account with

implied opinion• Use of quotes• Literary qualities (imagery, metaphor,

characterization, etc.)• Cohesion (has purpose and a focus)• Chronological order or

metaphor/anecdotal frame typical• Doesn’t include everything/has relevance

Biographies answer these questions:

• What makes this person different/ interesting?

• What kind of effect did he or she have on other people?

• What are the adjectives you would most use to describe the person?

• What events or actions in his/her life illustrate those adjectives?

• How did this person interact with the world?• What events effected this person's life? • Did he or she overcome any obstacles?

Assignment

• Choose a family member, living or deceased, and write a biographical study on him or her

• You will need to gather evidence, including interviews, photos, news articles, etc.

• If you want to do a genealogical study, consider using the Ohio Historical Society and www.familysearch.org

• More details to come