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 ones 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- Angelas 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 ones 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
Dont 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. Encyclopdia Brittanica. Encyclopdia 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. Whats 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. 201
*Yagoda, Ben. Memoir: A History. New York: Penguin, 2009. Print.