A memoir is a nonfiction narrative based on the author's personal memories, whose assertions are understood to be factual. Although historically treated as a subcategory of biography or autobiography, since the late twentieth century the memoir has been differentiated by its narrower focus, usually a particular time, career or set of turning points in the author's life, rather than the fuller span of a life a biography or autobiography covers.
Facts
Place of OriginAncient Rome; Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico is among the earliest known memoirs. 1 Notable ExampleHenry David Thoreau's Walden (1854), recounting two years spent in a cabin near Walden Pond, became a key work of American literature. 1 Defining TraitNonfiction narrative based on personal memory, differentiated from biography or autobiography by its narrowed focus on a particular time phase, career, or event. 1 Connections
Features Author
Form Of Genre
Sources
1. Memoir (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, first paragraph
While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiography since the late 20th century, the genre is differentiated in form, presenting a narrowed focus, usually a particular time phase in someone's life or career.
From the eighteenth century section
An exception to these models is Henry David Thoreau's 1854 memoir Walden, which presents his experiences over the course of two years in a cabin he built near Walden Pond.
Early memoirs section, first sentence
Memoirs have been written since ancient times, as shown by Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico, also known as Commentaries on the Gallic Wars.
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