Cirrus@Austlit

In this course students will read a range of life narratives in the context of theories of self-representation. The course will focus on variations in the genre of self-writing, and will examine the evolution of autobiographical texts - and the changing significance attributed to the speaking "I" - from St Augustine's Confessions of the 4th century to contemporary models of self-writing. Set texts will include not only those conventionally understood as autobiography but also those which deliberately blur the line between biography and autobiography (such as Gertrude Stein's Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas) and those which are collaboratively produced (such as oral histories). The course will allow students the option of producing a piece of self-writing as part of their assessment. They will develop their skills in reading texts within the context of cultural and literary history, and have the opportunity to explore intersections between critical and creative writing.