LA 233 - Autobiography and Perspective:Whose Life is it Anyway?

Institution:

The Boston Conservatory

Subject:

Description:

The recent popularity of different types of autobiography and memoir has given rise to increased attention to the genre. The media notice given to James Frey's A Million Little Pieces has drawn particular interest to the questions of the limits and veracity of the genre. This course explores how writers, as well as other artists such as film makers, negotiate the tensions between present and past lives, between fact and memory, and between design and truth in autobiography. We look at the historical and theoretical underpinnings of autobiography (and related genres) and consider our own places in the pageantry of self-portrayal. Family and friends, home and country, public and private, secrets and lives all find a place in an examination of the complexities of who we are and how we perceive and portray ourselves. This course explores written as well as visual communication, with a particular emphasis on self expression through different perspectives. Students study a variety of models and modes of narration that focus on the revelation of the individual. The autobiographical/memoir form will be investigated as one which conceals the maker as well as reveals both subject matter and creator. The course focuses on two distinct areas of autobiographical exploration: study and analysis of the historical development and continuity of autobiographical texts; and the analysis of 20th century and contemporary autobiographical statements made through a number of different expressive forms--prose, poetry, film, self-portraiture etc.. In addition, students will have the opportunity to develop their own individual application and understanding of autobiographical forms.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bostonconservatory.edu

Phone Number:

(617) 536-6340

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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