The autobiography is the life of the writer written by him as a work of art. Its aim is to present the personality, which has some intrinsic value. Johnson thought autobiography to be truer than biography.
The biographer of one’s own life has first-hand knowledge of himself. He may be tempted to disguise his shady motives and actions; still the life presented is much nearer to truth than biography. Therefore Longfellow says that autobiography is ‘a product of first-hand experience.’
The autobiography, like the biography, is a narrative of events in the life of a person. But it has an aim and end as a work of art. To achieve it the writer has to present a faithful picture of his own personality. It needs courage to speak out the motives that form the basis for his character.
If he is frank about himself, it becomes objective. The Confession of St. Augustine is the first autobiography on record. Rousseau’s Confessions published in the latter half of the eighteenth century is also remarkable for its cindered. The autobiographies of Hume, Gibbon and Franklin create a temptation in eminent men in all walks of life to leave some record of their lives.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
It is difficult for the autobiographer to be absolutely truthful in his work. He faces many problems. He is tempted to praise his selfless actions and conceal his ugly motives and deeds. There is problem in recapturing the events of the distant past. He harps on certain striking events which may lead to some kind of falsification of his life story. Such autobiographies are subjective.
Every autobiography has its own value for the posterity. But a few autobiographies are truly interesting. The autobiography of Bertrand Russell starts with a bang but becomes too philosophical to the reader as it progresses. Stephen Spender’s autobiography is not very exciting. But the autobiography of Arthur Koestler is really interesting.