Life writing

= Life Writing =

Life writing is a literary genre involving the recording of personal memories and experiences. It can be considered an all-encompassing term, under which can be found autobiography, memoir, diaries, letters and other such types of self-made and self-referencing literary works.

Life writing can also be linked with genealogical study: when recording ones life it is common to become curious about the lives of others that have effected one over time and, if they failed to record their own life, to start recording it for them.

The rise of the popularity of the biographic form can be seen with the recent publication of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, an updated version of a 19th century publication, containing 50,113 biographic articles about 54,922 people who have significantly affected and shaped Britain.

Why Life Writing?

Life writing has become increasingly popular and, as a result, academic research into the subject has also increased. Life writers and historians state that life writing and life history are useful academically as they provide first hand stories and accounts of individuals and their relationship with society, history, public life as well as detailed personal insights. [http://www-distance.syr.edu/journal1.html]

In 1975, psychologist Ira Progoff noted the positive affects that journal writing, or autobiographical writing could have. The findings of Progoff’s research showed that not only could an, Intensive Journal Method enhance personal growth and learning, but also that it could “draw each person’s life towards wholeness at its own tempo”

Research into life writing has also found that it can facilitate the expression of feeling, a shift in personal thinking and the development of a feeling of self control and confidence, especially in individuals with low self esteem. It was also claimed that autobiographical writing helped with these deep issues as it allowed the problem to be dealt with in a new, different and unusual way. [http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?Ver=1&Exp=08-10-2013&FMT=7&DID=740212961&RQT=309&attempt=1&cfc=1]

Another benefit to life writing is the pleasure and positive experience in re-living old memories and events, while knowing that they are being recorded and therefore will be remembered in years to come by future generations. People want to be remembered and through family orientated activity such as life writing the process can be more rewarding.

Life writing also enables family information, as well as emotions and feeling about history to be remembered, for example life writing can give the opportunity to pass down family traditions, recipes and memorabilia.

With the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s and other degenerative and dementia diseases, especially in the developed world, it is being seen as even more important to leave a record of yourself and your times. There is also some evidence to support the claim that increased intellectual activity and brain stimulation i.e. recording your memories can lower the individual risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. [http://www.helium.com/items/1018607-memoirs-how-writing-ones-life-story-serves-as-a-family-legacy] [http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/348/25/2508]

Academic Study

There are now Centres for Life Writing Research at both King's College London and the University of Sussex.

The Centres are multi-discipline, with contributors from history, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, cultural studies and psychology as well as English language and literature and aim to produce academic publications in the field of life writing as well as contributing through other mediums, such as television, radio and the internet.

The University of Sussex Library is also home to the Mass-Observation Archive, a large collection of material from everyday life, personally kept routines and diaries that were collated between 1937 to the early 1950’s. More recently Mass-Observation Archive has been collecting new material since the early 1980’s, in order to keep a record of our progression. The archive is considered of great social and cultural importance as well as supplying previously unheard accounts and stories of routine wartime Britain.

How to do it?

With the emergence of the internet, both life history and life writing research has become quicker and easier than before. There are many online guides to writing your life story as well as online archives to search for more information.

Facebook and Myspace can play an interesting part in recording your life history as they can potentially enable you to find old friends and relations, although they do not give you the technology to be able to write your life story.

Famous Examples of Life Writing

Life writing has been evident for nearly 2,000 years. St Augustine’s autobiographical work being one example from the middle of the 1st century AD.

Margery Kempe, an early 15th century English woman, is believed to have written the first autobiography in the English language. This text provides what could be the best insight into a female, middle class experience in the middle ages.

Other famous examples include Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler and a more contemporary example, A Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela.