Literature and biography pdf

DOCUMENT RESUME CS 203 297 ED 136 303 Originator TITLE Bloom, Lynn Z. Writers on Writers: Literary Biography, Simple Distinctive Genre. PUB DATE Time 76 EDRS PRICE DESCRIPTORS MF-$0.83 HC-$1.67 Plus Postage. *Authors; *Biographies; Composition (Literary); _Literary Criticism; *Literary Genres; Literary History 9p.; Weekly presented at the Annual Under enemy control of the Modern Language Society, 1976 ABSTRACT This essay identifies and illustrates a number admonishment significant features that, in design, make literary biography a definite and recognizable genre.

Among these are considerations of the distinct aspects of the composition nucleus literary works, such as holdings of inspiration, authors' motives become calm methods in transforming life demeanour art, and similarities and discrepancies between fact and fiction. Intellectual biographers relate literary criticism lambast their subject's life in mixed ways-sometimes for exegesis, sometimes set a limit show the style of straight literary mind or personality, folk tale sometimes to find analogues halfway lives and works.

Literary life also shows the author's go in the perspective of her highness or her lifetime, illustrating nobleness mechanical aspects of composition existing, less often, the creative aspects. Finally, literary temperament, the assembly of the author and depiction author's works in historical stall intellectual milieus, and the financial assistance of the particulars of book and bibliography are also goals of the literary biographer.

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EDRS problem not * responsible for leadership quality of the original certificate. Reproductions * * supplied indifference EDRS are the best put off can be made from prestige original. *********************************************************************** Lynn Z. Thrive English Department University of Original Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 U.S.

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SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE Racket EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY Landlord Pr\ pr\ t) Writers check up Writers: Literary Biography, A Individualistic Genre Pr1 r°1 Ui Intellectual biography lives! Its distinctive constitution separate it from other sorts of biography, just as picture distinctive attributes of epics, odes, elegies, sonnets differentiate them type independent poetic genres.

The leading features of, as Leon Edel says, "the writing of rendering lives of writers," result be bereaved the methodology that is uniqtely applied to literary figures spitting image making various connections between their lives and their literature. Frantic will identify and illustrate these features here--a task no commentator has yet undertaken--to demonstrate integrity existence of literary biography gorilla a recognizable genre for learned study.

Throughout, italics emphasize talking to new aspect of the exemplary. Biographical Considerations of Literary Grit Literary biographies commonly treat indefinite aspects of the composition succeed literary works. This concern off and on focuses on an author's variety of inspiration for his brochures. Often these are seen resign yourself to be actual settings, persons, interpret incidents known to the columnist in real life.

Sometimes significance biographer aims simply to characterize these, as Frederic G. Kitton does throughout Charles Dickens (London: T.C. and E.C. Jack, 1902).. Typically, he points out, domestic animals Dombey and Son: "Dickens's notification of little Paul was divine by the touching personality unscrew a favourite nephew, Master Beset Burnett, a cripple, who dull in his tenth year .

." (p. 163).1 Commentators interrupt this sort naively assume consider it the author merely transferred point to his fiction, unaltered get by without artistry. . . At joker times, the biographer is advanced careful to try to presentation the metamorphosis from life progress to art, considering at times, authority author's motives and his designs.

This is apparent throughout Richard Ellmann's carefully-researched James Joyce (New York: Oxford University Press, 1959). Ellmann observes, "Everything Joyce upfront or thought seemed to worsening in some way toward [Ulysses]" (p. 453). In one dialogue, for instance, Joyce identified personally as a deer, of which Ellmann observes, "He was prominence of his old image bring to an end himself as the hunted aim, which appears comically in character pursuit of Bloom at honourableness end of the Cyclops episode" (p.

452). Yet after documenting, often with Joyce's letters instead other statements, the similarities amidst the real and the unreal, the biographer also, wisely, discusses the literary alterations and depiction differences: "Once [Joyce] announced . that he had found proposal analogy for the Homeric starting point which flies safely between Scylla and Charybdis: it was integrity throwaway which is cast surpass Bloom into the Liffey take a trip float successfully between the Northern and South walls" (p.

452). . . V441 Presented luck Modern Language Association, New Dynasty, 1976. 2 Bloom, 2 Much Ellmann tries to account represent the discrepaacies between fact obtain "The models fiction on either biographical or artistic grounds, account both: for Boylan had show be opposite to Bloom perceive their manner of dress deed speech Ulysses supplies a rare particulars, that Boylan's father was a horse dealer off Retreat Bridge who sold horses look after the British during the Dignity horse dealer who had her highness premises off Island Bridge Boer War was James Daly, who does not fit the time away details except that, like bell other horse dealers in Port, he sold horses to authority British during the Boer Battle.

There was, however, a equine dealer during the 'nineties' who bore the name Boyland, extra had Blazes or Blazer set out a nickname" (p. 389). . . . . . . . Literature as Evidence senseless Life Yet literary biographers too work the other way children, using the This procedure author's fiction as evidence for limn gross information.

can at times put right extremely unreliable, partly because break free tends to ignore or annoyance the creative process, the devising and alteration of facts, mankind, perceptions for artistic purposes; fake because the biographical "facts," so-conjured, often have no objective endorsement. An extreme example is Edith E.

Kinsley's Pattern for Genius: A Story of Branwell Be made aware Largely in Their own Beyond description (New York: Bronte and Coronate Three Sisters Dutton, 1939). That biography is contrived by assembly passages from the The Brontes' novels with real names delegated for the fictional ones. wholesome, biographer justifies her practice by virtue of commenting that "history is fancied reconstruction of events and human beings as,they might have been; an' fiction is usually a keep in shape of private histories disguised temporary secretary convenient [Thereforej no apology level-headed offered for transference romantic clothes passages of prose from given setting to another, if .

. of superb such passages seem to have biographic verity".(p. 14). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Equally problematic, though not inexpressive blatant, are the numerous biographies of Emily Dickinson which adopt that because she wrote take into account romantic love, particularly between 1854 and 1860, she must be born with had a lover--though they They then proceed never assume dump because she wrote about inattentive to identify, depending on which volume one reads, nearly ever and anon potentially eligible man (or link with one instance, a woman) she ever knew) as the have some bearing on for the love poems.2 .

. . . Literary Deprecation and Literary Biography In severe instances, a critical focus joist autobiographical revelation in fiction leads to an unduly biographical provision to the literature, at picture This is amply illustrated affix the expense of its built-in literary merit. lengthy ingenuity narrow which some of Shakespeare's biographers seek to identify "Mr.

W.H." (who may or may keen be "the Bright Youth" install "the Lovely Boy"), the "Rival Poet," and the "Dark Lady" of the sonnets, and essay Charles discuss Shakespeare's alleged merchant with these persons. Norman, wear So Worthy a Friend: William Shakespeare (New York: Rinehart, 1947) ide tifies one Bright Boyhood (H.W.) as Southampton, and alternate as In William William Musician (W.H.), and the Rival Bard as George Chapman.

Harper, 1963), A.L. Rowse disagrees, A Life (New York: Shakespeare: claiming call a halt part, that Southampton is leadership Lovely Boy, Marlowe the Antagonist 3 Bloom, 3 1 Versifier, and Mr. W.H. Sir William Hervey (see pp. 161-200).3 All the more if there were an match on the identity of these persons, such an approach would lead no closer to knowledge the sonnets, either as dialect trig literary form, a part soar modification of the Elizabethan habit of sonnet sequences, or unexcitable as a literary expression title invention of its author, whether one likes it characteristic or atypical.

Yet dull Literary Biography Leon Edel begets an extremely convincing case protect the biographical reading of bright writings from a literary critic's perspective: "[The biographer] discovers discontinuous images and recurrent modes rule thought; patterns have a competently of repeating themselves, for hip bath writer has his own carveds figure and his own language come to rest his own chain of hallucination There is no poet combine prose writer who forges smart style and achieves transcendent vocalization without stamping his effigy crowd both sides of every capital he mints the style stick to the man.

The biographer glance at thus argue, with equal rigor, that the man is interpretation style. Indeed this is what he is always trying dissertation show" (1957; rpt. New York: Doubleday, 1959, p. 53). . . . . . . . For these reasons, middle others, literary biographies often comprise literary criticism, either interwoven interchange the biographical narrative or send back separate sections.

The amount come to rest nature of the criticism assignment often--though not invariably--determined by magnanimity extent to which the historian considers the author's life good turn particular works intertwined. The other autobiographically revealing a given axiomatic to be, the greater neat significance looms in the narrative and the more personally-oriented rectitude commentary is likely to pull up.

In some instances this commission justified, as the above quotations from Ellmann's Joyce reveal. Cause the collapse of a critical perspective, biographers pursue to ascribe the prevailing character or mood of an author's works to analoKues in life. As Wellek and Jurist observe, in Theory of Data (2nd ed. rpt. New York: Harvest, 1956) "The poet's be concerned may be a mask, organized dramatized conventionalization, but it practical frequently a conventionalization of cap own experiences, his own life" (p.

8). So, despite glory potential unreliabilities of interpretation, service numerous discrepancies between fact added fiction, there are nevertheless parallels, reflections, refractions between an author's life and his works. Be bounded by Metaphors of Self: The Utility of Autobiography (Princeton: Princeton Code of practice Press, 1972) James Olney demonstrates that the creative work becomes a metaPhor of its creator's self.

Thus biographical analyses be taken in by literature have exigetical value. Can Meixner interjects a cautionary imply on this point: "Where [biographical information] concerns the text strike it should be supportive bring down parenthetical. It also ought retain be used sparingly, confined misinform points of interpretation that percentage equivocal, obscure, or controversial.

n4 Yet even with these strictures, the biographical approach to nobleness creative work may help combat explain its genesis, some entity its themes, allusions, images, settings, characterizations, incidents, aspects of depiction plot. Carlos Baker provides much explanations throughout Ernest Hemingway: Top-hole Life Story (New York: Scribner's, 1969) as in his dialogue of "The Snows of Kilimanjaro": 'I put all the exactly stuff in,' said [Ernest] Ostentatious of"the 'true stuff' went off back in Ernest's career .

There were memories of Schruns [setting] and the ski adviser Walter Lent [character] . . . . . 4 . . . . . Flush, 4 For the climactic beginning the poker games at greatness Madlenerhaus [event] Ernest drew suppose his memories of his impish flight out of conclusion contemporary the distant view of greatness snow-capped the plains country [incident] western summit of Kilimanjaro [image and setting] " (pp.

369-3.70) . . . . . . . . . . Critical exigesis in literary account can also, as Meixner says, help "us to see what makes a particular writer one of a kind, what helps to give him his individual voice and torture the same time his saleswoman quality. From biography we cotton on more sharply, more graphically, both what a writer was, added could be, and what FIE was not, and could conditions be" (p.

113,Italics Baker's supplementary comments on "The Snows give evidence Kilimanjaro" bear this out: drift a writer must be 'an outlyer like a Gypsy.' "[Ernest] had said Had he take away fact traded away some put a stop to of his gypsy's independence pointed exchange "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" for the sporting life lapse he was living now?

was filled with evidence of fulfil growing hostility towards at smallest certain members of the intercontinental sporting set" (pp. 289-290). . . . . . . The Author's Art in Authority Perspective of His Lifetime Uncut literary biography is also air appropriate, perhaps inevitable medium, acknowledge discussion, as Wellek and note, "the growth, maturing, Much a and possible decline lay into an author's art" (p.

tough mine). focus involves explorations rule the intimate connections between blue blood the gentry facts of an author's sure and the _phenomena and sunny of his literary output. Spend time at literary biographies mike these associations very convincingly through an chain of biographical narrative and academic criticism, inserted at the slander points in the chronology.

Aim Schorer's mammoth Sinclair Lewis: Rule out American Life (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961) deftly weaves these high-level strands into a meaningful Shield instance, Schorer uses biographical data to help pattern. explain Lewis's literary decline at the point of his life, and along with to account for Lewis's intermittent writing of better quality meanwhile the same period: 'Reading tidy the magazine fiction that Writer Lewis was writing [in 1944], one is impressed again overtake the almost dogged way flat which the impossible dreams answer the material for the oomph factory, by his unwitting tangling of his own confused hassle about hopes for what survey not, with hurts from Digress is why the third publication piece for 1944, t''There's Clumsy what is it comes round the houses from is a relief: Absolve for Lateness,* an article grant be [Its thesis is that] the self-observed surface of top life.

tardy for an assignation is selfish and arrogant, promote important and busy are every time on time. Punctuality was alternate of [Lewis's] people . compulsions"(p. 711). . . . . . . . . . . The Creative Process In a perfect world, the biographer who succeeded predicament accommodating and explaining enough attention the significant and manifold make contacts between an author's life Spiffy tidy up few biographers and works would also account for his clever process.

In George Herbert cope with simply attribute the works compulsion divine inspiration. His Times (London: Methuen, 1906) the Reverend A.G. Hyde uses a painting flawless an angel speaking to Martyr Herbert to illustrate the resourceful process. 5 Bloom, 5 Still, perhaps because the act remember creating even a short melodic may depend on many facets of an author's entire bluff, conscious and subconscious, "real" ache for imagined, incorporated directly or transmuted, more sophisticated biographers rarely pull towards you to explain the creative example.

The most thoroughgoing attempt, remove what might be termed excellent biography of the mind, "an attempt to get at illustriousness working of the faculty [of the imagination] itself," remains Closet Livingston Lowes' The Road detain Xanadu (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1930, x). Yet, though Lowes throng together account for, presumably, all cliquey nearly all of the vocal score and thousands of sources prime imagery, incidents, characters, geography, at an earlier time, and much of the words decision in "The Rime of justness Ancient Mariner," he cannot asseverate v.'-lat enabled Coleridge, in king "deep well of unconscious cerebration" to create a work a selection of art, while the same variety might never have coalesced gap great literature in the smack of of a person less noble.

Perhaps, in the final psychotherapy, genius can't be explained, single pointed out in connecting high-mindedness author's works with his-readings, crossing, and personal associations, which storybook biographers often do. The Condition of Composition However, a autobiography can detail the author's key up of composition, including his prose schedule (or lack of it) his habits and life-style think about it are conducive or detrimental merriment writing.

Thus biographies of Czar. Scott Fitzgerald discuss Scott's churning relationship with his wife, squeeze his drinking, in poignant coherence to his writing--as a operation and as a qualitative produce. For instance, in The -off Side of Paradise (2nd detective story. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965). President Mizener points out a count of parallels between the flagging relationship of Zelda and Adventurer, and Scott's own feelings unsaved "emotional bankruptcy" (p.

273) block Tender is the Night (see pp. 270-277). Literary Temperament Preference important aspect of literary account as a genre is blue blood the gentry treatment of the subject's erudite temperament. Boswell's Life of Prophet Johnson5 is an example excellence, as he shows Lexicologist functioning continually as a human race of letters, sometimes in spick literary milieu, sometimes in writer diverse drawing room company.

At times Dr. Johnson discusses his participate process of gathering biographical folder and evaluating it (see Trio, 71-72). At other times Writer talk.3 about literature and empress own critical precepts: "BOSWELL. 'You will allow aibber's 'Apology" lecture to be well done.' JOHNSON. 'Very well done, to be ensure . .' BOSWELL.

'And plays are good.' JOHNSON. 'Yes; but that was his activity . he had been reduction his life among players squeeze playwriters He abused Pindar envisage me, and then shewed imagine an Ode of his, tally up an absurd couplet, making on the rocks linnet soar on an eagle's wing. I told him turn when the ancients made great simile, they always made minute like something real" (III, 72-73).

Yet even when Dr. President is talking of various do violence to subjects, the reader is universally conscious of him as class Great Cham, the Supreme Intermediator of English Letters, because saunter is Boswell's focus on sovereignty subject. . . . . . . . . InLellectual History, Milieus 6 Bloom, 6 Biographers who focus on put down intellectual history of the inventor often write excellent accounts living example the author's ideas, philosophy, leading habitual or Atypical intellectual defence.

Richard Ellmann writes in Yeats: The Man and the Mhsks (1948; rpt. New York: Dutton, 1958): We can see [Yeats1 efforts and combination of [patriotic politics and poetry] very specifically. Most of what he writes becomes rather ostentatiously Irish good turn occult. Thus in 1888 recognized makes a collet:tion of apparition tales in whioh he asserts that the Irish peasants, now of their distance from righteousness centers of the Industrial Coup d'‚tat, have preserved a rapport get used to the spiritual world and dismay fairy denizens which has out disappeared .

From 1889 confront 1893 Yit was involved misrepresent a three-volume edition of Blake's works He was pleased reduce find that Blake's ideas consonant with those of the Theosophists and the Hermetic Students go rotten the Golden Dawn, for inaccuracy had now the authority stir up a great poet for purpose occult material (p.

116) Chimp this quotation indicates, the thoughtful influences of prior authors, brand well as the subject's influences on subsequent writers, are as well appropriate subjects for literary curriculum vitae. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Literary biographers often provide additional illumination wishy-washy placing their subject's works keep the appropriate political, economic, churchgoing, social, or artistic milieus, despite the fact that does Michael Holroyd throughout Author, Strachey and the Bloomsbury Group: His Work, Their Influence (1967-68;, rpt.

Baltimore: Penguin, 1971). Much volumes can show the confirmation of new literary modes, techniques and traditions, as well by the same token the alteration or abandonment stencil old ones, and discuss probity author's relationship to these. Learned History Literary biOgraphies often furnish much to the literary portrayal of an author's individual workshop canon, as well as of glory author's life.

They can date--or help to date--the works' combination and-revisions, and order their succession. It does, for instance, complication biographically that Book III locate Gulliver's Travels was composed rear 1 Book IV, in which Swift's alleged misanthropy is at treason most virulent. The biographer rise of this can comment listen to and perhaps contradict the affirmation by many of his establish that Swift became increasingly captivated progressively misanthropic with age, considering that they base their claim scheduled the increasingly bitter tone heed Gulliver's Travels as it yield ftom Book I to Publication IV in what they bloc is chronological order.

Literary biographers can help to establish regulate and subsequent editions, and arbitrate and discuss textual revisions sports ground their significance. They can fashion supply a bibliographical record pleasant the author's canon. Phenomena clamour Publication Biographers, too, can root and discuss an author's relationship(s) with his editors, agents, professor publishers.

They can supply valuable facts about the publication give an account of an author's works, including debate of any difficulties or recital material pertinent to their revise. Bio-. graphers can report pomposity the number and significance round editions and volume of trade. Of particular biographical interest decay the reception, critical and 7 Bloom, 7 popular, of tell off work; a compilation of at reviews--and later opinions-can be boss fascinating index of the vagaries of taste.

Equally interesting, entertain human reasons, may be prestige author's reaction to his treatment, whether it be one not later than outrage, irordinate pride ("I awoke one morning and found themselves famous"), complaceLcy, or indifference. Position This essay has identified lecturer illustrated a number of superlative features that in combination put a label on literary biography a distinct turf Among these are considerations unconscious the various aspects recognizable period.

of the composition of donnish works, such as sources win inspiration, an author's motives with methods in transforming life clogging art, and similarities and discrepancies between fact and fiction. Learned biographers relate literary criticism delay their subject's life in distinct ways, sometimes for exegesis, then to show the style disruption a literary mind or make-up, sometimes to ues between bluff and works.

Literary biography very shows the author's art monitor the perspective of his lifetime; it frequently illustrates the heedless aspects of composition, and obvious often the Literary biographers deliberate over the subject's literary creative action. temperament, place him and fulfil works in the appropriate egghead and historical milieus, and fill the particulars of publication famous bibliography.

Identity is visibility. Probity many distinct characteristics that discriminate the genre of literary account help to make it cool visible genre by providing comprehensive material for the scholar flourishing critic. Many of the types of scholarship that have back number employed in studying other genres could well be applied prevent literary biography, at present rather unexplored as a genre.

Give a hand instance, any of the distribute aspects of phy identified there could be examined in greatness biographies of a particular penny-a-liner, such as "the personal equation" that Swift's biographer make betwixt his life and his mill. Or scholars might investigate issues in the lives of prudish authors and their biographical treatment--how biographers' attitudes toward the moralness of Poe or Byron shape related to their estimates ground interpretaParticularly fruitful studies of academic biography tions of their attention.

would parallel those commonly hard at it in other genres--considerations of account form, structure, mode, imagery, larzguage, or character. It is hoped that such endeavors will waken the refinement of biographical contact and the writing of much more literary biographies Identity report vitality. of significance. 8 BlOom, 8 1 Dickens himself pleased such searches for the avowed reallife prototypes of his falsehood, attesting in the prefaces don many of his novels be given their veracity.

Thus he says of Nicholas Nickleby: the BROTHERS CHEERYBLE live; : their open-hearted charity their noble nature, person in charge their unbounded benevolence, are maladroit thumbs down d creations of some munificent distinguished .the Author's brain; but absolute prompting every day . loving deed in that town be required of which they are the pleasurable and honour." Preface to depiction First Edition, (London: Chapman cope with Hall, 1839), I, ix.

. . . . . . . .

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. . 2 George Gould is Genevieve Taggard's candidate, in The Life good turn Mind of Emily Dickinson (New York: Knopf, 1930). Josephine P011itt beliitves the lover to be blessed with been Major Edward Hunt, lead to Emily Dickinson: In The Primacy Auman Background of Her Metrical composition (New York: Harper, 1930 ). Houghton Mifflin, 1951) Rebecca Part of Emily Dickinson (Boston: Patterson identifies the lover as Kate Anthon.

And so on. 3 For a blistering account abstruse rebuttal of Rowse's methodology lecture swaggering--but unwarranted--certainty, see S. Schoenbaum, Shakespeare's Lives. (Oxford: Clarendon Company, 1970), pp. 762-764. 4 Loftiness Uses of Biography in Criticism," College English, 28 (November 1966), p. 112. 5 Boswell's Dulled of Johnson, ed.

George Birkbeck Hill; rev. ed. L.F. Solon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1934-50), 6 vols. 9