Memoir: Factual Fiction

By: Trea, Jade, Grace, and Taylor

Activity I

Take 5-10 minutes to write down a memory

Something that has had some significance in your

life

Preferably from childhood

Be factual and objective(We will do more with this later)

Definition

Different from an autobiography (though seperated

by a fine line)

The defining factor is simply time

Criteria

focuses on the past

recreates moments

could include fact or fiction

experiences put in historical/cultural context

Criteria

usually first person POV

include past and present perspectives

looks at things that have been overlooked or

forgotten in one’s life

reflective

Examples

Discuss the readings that you did for homework:

what are the similarities and differences between

the stories if any?

what elements of a memoir did you see in the

readings? any discrepancies?

Early Memoirs

Earliest memoirs- Roman

Empire

Julius Caesar- The

Conquest of Gaul

Medieval times- mostly

religious

Renaissance- higher literacy

rates

Puritans- conversion

narratives

Developing the Genre

Daniel Defoe- Robinson Crusoe

Romanticism- “window to the soul”

Henry David Thoreau- Walden

Walt Whitman- Leaves of Grass

19th century- relationships with

others

20th century- social statement,

mental illness, addiction, poverty,

etc.

Frank McCourt- Angela’s Ashes

Modern Memoirs

Late 20th century- started using

the word “memoir” more

Celebrity memoir trend Amy Poehler- Yes Please

Ghostwriters

Modern memoirs are more

popular when they are actually

true

Subgenres Memoirs have now branched out as history went on

What do they all have in common?

Each memoir

Reconstructs the experience or events

Builds scenes and conveys the significance

Uses various literary devices

The writer must “mine his/her memories” (Andrew 23).

Common Subgenres How are they all different?

Nine subgenres

Personal

War

Romance

Coming of Age

Confessional

Travel

Celebrity

Culinary/Food

Spiritual

Culinary Memoirs Impassioned descriptions of unusual and well loved

comestibles

Metaphorical Associations

Cultural Identity, Ethnic Community and Family

Imagery

Links smell and taste with strong emotions and

memories

The Physiology of Taste by Jean Savarin

Chronicles the growth and development of the memoirist

Spiritual Memoirs

Searches for a transcendent meaning Uses material from the past and present

Links one’s life in relationship to something greater

Why are they written?

Praises or address the sacred in prayer

The Confessions of St. Augustine

Life of Saint Teresa

Activity II

Take your memory from the beginning of class and

stylize it into a memoir.

Here are some tips for “converting truth to fiction”

Don’t be afraid to bend the truth, be convincing

Cut it down to the most essential elements

Consider what makes the story compelling

Keep the criteria of a memoir in mind

Works Cited

Andrew, Elizabeth. Writing the Sacred Journey: The Art and Practice of Spiritual Memoir. Boston: Skinner House, 2005.

Google Books. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.

"Autobiographical Fiction: Using Your Real Life To Craft Great Fiction." LitReactor. LitReactor, 29 Feb. 2012. Web. 10

Oct. 2015.

"Criteria for a Short Memoir." Criteria for a Short Memoir (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.

*Harari, Yuval Noah. “Military Memoirs: A Historical Overview of the Genre from the Middle Ages to the Late Modern Era.”

War in History 14.3 (2007): 289-309. Print.

Images sourced from Google.

Kihlstrom, John. “Memoir.” University of California, Berkeley. University of California, Berkeley, 14 September 2015. Web.

8 October 2015.

“Memoir: Historical Genre.” Encyclopædia Brittanica. Encyclopædia Brittanica, n.d. Web. 8 October 2015.Kelms, Brian A.

"Memoir vs. Autobiography." WritersDigest.com. N.p., 08 May 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.

Mrduttfn. "New Lives." Teen Ink. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.

Lumbert, Julia. "Why I Am Who I Am." Teen Ink. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.

Scriba. "Seasons of Love." Teen Ink. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.

Shmoop. “What’s a Memoir?” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 11 June 2013. 10 October 2015.

*Waxman, Barbara F. Food Memoirs: What They Are, Why They Are Popular, and Why They Belong in the Literature

Classroom. 4th ed. Vol. 70. N.p.: National Council of Teachers of English, n.d. JSTOR [JSTOR]. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.

*Yagoda, Ben. Memoir: A History. New York: Penguin, 2009. Print.