Narratives of the Self: Life-Writing in Contemporary American Autobiography

Autobiography has been among the most debated genres in American literature. As part of the so-called “memoir-boom” of the early 21st century, unprecedented numbers of life stories have flooded the book markets world-wide. Americans are fascinated by these stories in different media formats, which has caused the genre to become increasingly diverse in its themes and topics. In the course of the seminar, we will briefly study the history and development of autobiography and the scholarly field of memoir studies with its evolving genre criticism, which leads us to the 21st century interest in life-writing and its significance in popular culture. By looking at celebrities, athletes, artists, politicians, and other persons of public interest who write down and reveal their private lives to the world, we will discover whether stories about the self are merely a matter of craving for sensation, or rather a cultural practice that reveals the dynamics of our society and interest in personal narratives. In this context, students will investigate both written and digital life narratives on social media platforms.

As part of the Aktive Teilnahme for this class, students are asked to read one autobiography of their choice, which will be further scrutinized in a short essay.