Women, Autobiography, Theory

Women, Autobiography, Theory is the first comprehensive guide to the burgeoning field of womens autobiography, drawing into one volume the most significant theoretical discussions on womens life writing of the last two decades. The authoritative introduction by Sidonie Smith and Julia Watson surveys writing about womens lives from the womens movement of the late 1960s to the present. It also relates theoretical positions in womens autobiography studies to postmodern, poststructuralist, postcolonial, and feminist analyses. The essays from thirty-nine prominent critics and writers include many considered classics in this field. They explore narratives across the centuries and from around the globe, including testimonios, diaries, memoirs, letters, trauma accounts, prison narratives, coming-out stories, coming-of-age stories, and spiritual autobiographies. A list of more than two hundred womens autobiographies and a comprehensive bibliography of critical scholarship in womens autobiography provide invaluable information for scholars, teachers, and readers.