Nonfiction/Expository Text

Biography Autobiography

Biography and Autobiography

• Part of speech: noun• Definition:

biography =account of a person’s lifeautobiography= written account of one’s own life

• Synonyms/related words: adventures, bio, biog, close-up, confession, diary, experiences, journal, letters, life, life history, life story, memoir, personal account, personal anecdote, personal narrative, profile, reminiscences, resume, self-portrayal

Etymology•bio– life•graph—to write or record •auto--self

biography vs. autobiography

biography—an account of a real person’s life that is written by someone else

• Told from third-person point of view

autobiography—an account of a real person’s life told by that person

• (the main character is the writer)

• Told from first-person point of view

Literary Elements of Biographies

• Written as expository text• Subject oriented • Contains facts and

information with little dialogue• Organized in chronological sequence—

sometimes called a Plot Line of Life• Contains facts that can be substantiated by

documented information

Setting of a biography/autobiography

• Contains accurate descriptions of where the person lived, worked, and played

• Authentic setting must contain images of the times and places of the person portrayed in the biography

• Does the author describe the settings in enough detail so that you can visualize this place or location?

• Do the settings describe the times by including details? What are these details?

• In the course of this person’s life, did the settings change?

Characterization

• The most important element in biographies/autobiographies

• Real people• Dynamic—they change like any human being changes with the passage of time• Round characters through dialogue, actions,

what others say about the character, anecdotes, etc.

Theme

• The reason why an author writes about the life of a particular person

• The theme often runs through the entire biography

• Often the “thread” that runs through the character’s life

• The theme ties together all the various aspects of the life

Techniques used by authorsof biographies/autobiographies

• Anecdotes—a short story, a brief account of a personal event

• Flashbacks—reminiscing about an event that happened in the past

• Dialogue--speech• Jackdaws—a collection of items that

represent a period in history or a person’s life-photographs, maps, songs, cartoons, articles, letters

Types of biographies

• Authentic biographies—well-documented, using only primary data, which includes letters, eyewitness accounts, diaries, and interviews of the subject

• Fictional biographies—accurately reported factual presentations, but the author invents dialogue

• Biographical fiction—accurately reports achievements of a person, but the author may invent the dialogue, secondary characters, and reconstruct the action

TimelineThe amount of coverage of aperson’s life—Where the

biography begins is the author’s choice!

• Complete biography—attempt to cover a person’s entire life

• Partial biography—attempt to cover a portion of a person’s life

When?

• Contemporary biographies—are written about a living person or one who has lived during the author’s lifetime

• Historical biographies—are written about a person who lived during a different period than the author

Questions to ask about any biography

• What does the character look like? (appearance)• What does the character do? (actions)• Did the author include dialogue? What does the character say?

(speech) (thoughts)• What do others say about this character? (speech)• Do you feel that the author’s description reflect the time in

which the person lived and the issues of those times?• Does the character change during the course of his or her life?

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Steps to Writing a biography or autobiography

• Choose a subject—can be a famous person or an ordinary person doing ordinary things

• Collect information about the person who is the subject (interviews, research, etc.)

• Decide how you will organize your information• Decide what special techniques you will use—

anecdotes, flashbacks, jackdaws, dialogue, etc.• Identify the theme of your biography

Some ideas to include when writing a biography/autobiography

• Describe the person’s surroundings• Show how the person affects other people• Provide examples that demonstrate a person’s behavior• Supply details that illustrates a person’s individuality• Imply or note how the writer feels about the person• Discuss significant contributions of the person• Describe the problems or obstacles the person had to

overcome• Include important events from historical/cultural context• Use direct quotes from person or those who knew him/her

Some ideas to consider when selecting a biography/autobiography to read

• What is the copyright date? Is the book up-to-date? • Did the subject of this biography make any significant contributions

to the world?• Does the writer offer fairly deep coverage of the subject?• Does the writer appear to have any significant biases towards the

subject?• Is the biography/autobiography presented as complete or partial?• Does the author of this biography/autobiography seem like a

reliable “researcher” or “expert” on the subject?• What about the readability of this book? Will it challenge you but

not frustrate you?• Are you really interested in reading about this person in depth?