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ARTISTIC AND COMPOSITIONAL FEATURES OF
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WORKS
Kakharova Mohigul Yusufovna
Independent Researcher at Bukhara State University
Abstract. This article explores the concept of autobiography, highlighting
the author as the central figure in their autobiographical works. It discusses how
authors often portray themselves as the main character, using personal
experiences and emotional events to create a dramatic narrative that resonates
with readers. The article examines the evolution of autobiographical writing,
tracing its origins from St. Augustine’s Confessions to more modern examples, and
outlines key methodologies for analyzing autobiographies, including qualitative
content analysis and comparative literary analysis.
Keywords: narrative, autobiography, diary, first-person perspective.
INTRODUCTION.
It is noticeable that every writer himself is considered to be the main hero in
his autobiographical works, and he can leave a deep impression on the reader
through the artistic interpretation of emotionally impactful events in his life. The
reason for this is, that the lives of well-known, famous writers are rarely smooth
and uneventful; rather, they often go through numerous adventures and face
spiritual and physical hardships throughout their lives. These aspects enhance the
dramatic quality of such works and increase their instructiveness.
What’s more important is that although the main themes of autobiographical
works may revolve around difficult periods in history such as war and famine, or
major social and political upheavals, the central character of the autobiographical
work remains the author himself. In the narrative, this figure emerges as an
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independent protagonist, and his inner world is vividly reflected. The word
"autobiography" comes from Greek: “autos” – “self,” “bios” – “life,” and
Furthermore, the word "autobiography" was first used by William Taylor in
1797 in the
Monthly Review
journal. In 1809, the poet Robert Southey also used
the word "autobiography" for the first time in the
Quarterly Review
journal. The
earliest example of autobiographical elements can be seen in St. Augustine’s work
Confessions
, written in 397 AD.
METHODOLOGY.
Qualitative Content Analysis
involves analyzing the themes, narrative
structure, and characterization within autobiographical works. Key components of
autobiographies, such as the "self" of the writer, the portrayal of events, and their
emotional impact, can be examined through this approach. The researcher would
focus on identifying patterns in autobiographical works across different authors,
highlighting how their personal experiences are woven into their literary works.
Comparative Literary Analysis
can be used to compare autobiographical
works from different time periods, regions, or literary traditions. For instance,
comparing European and American autobiographies, as the article mentions, or
contrasting the works of different authors (e.g., Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jack
London, and H.G. Wells) will provide insight into how the genre evolves over time
and how authors from different cultures engage with their own life stories.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.
In English literature, the first autobiographical work was created in 1630 by
John Smith. African-American writer Jarena Lee (1783–1864) authored an
autobiographical work in American literature.
Roy Pascal states that “
a certain period of a person's life is described in
autobiography. The writer, relying on their memories, reconstructs the events of
their life.”
The autobiography as a genre was formed in Europe. According to Roy
1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobiography#Definition
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Pascal, the emergence of autobiographical works served as an impetus for the
development of European civilization.
According to some philosophers, autobiographical works have a subjective
nature, and the value of such works is determined by how skillfully the author
portrays the details of their life.
J.A. Cuddon refers to autobiography as “a memoir written by a person with
their own hand.” According to Harry Show: “The writer records important events
from their life in order to preserve them in memory forever. By reflecting on the
past, the writer seeks to draw the attention of readers.”
The fact that events in an autobiographical work are presented in
chronological order indicates its closeness to reality. One can observe the depiction
of the author's life starting from birth, including childhood, youth, family, and
creative life in autobiographical novels. Some authors portray their lives in books
consisting of more than ten volumes. For example, Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote
an autobiographical work consisting of 12 books. Regarding his purpose for
writing
Confessions
, Jean-Jacques Rousseau expressed the following thought:
“My
main goal is to understand the person unique to myself and my nature – in simple
terms, to comprehend the ‘self’ that can truly be me.”
However, an autobiographical work must differ from a diary-style writing.
A diary is somewhat similar to an autobiographical work, but in it, the author
focuses on personal aspects of their life. Roy Pascal describes the diary as
“the
daily autobiography of the author’s life.”
In autobiographical works, events are presented in chronological order, but
this principle is not applied when writing a diary. Roy Pascal emphasizes
: "In a
diary, the author can also describe someone else's biography. One can find in a
diary all the uncertainties, false starts, and momentariness, but the autobiography
is a coherent shaping of the past.”
2
R.Pascal. Design and Truth in Autobiography. ‒ London:Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 2001.
3
O‘sha manba. ‒ P.6.
4
S. Manisha. Theory of Autobiography. 2008. ‒ P.17.
5
R.Pascal. Design and Truth in Autobiography. ‒ London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 2001. ‒ P.3.
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In autobiographical novels, the author does not include insignificant events
from their life. Only the life events that the author considers important are reshaped
in the autobiographical work. Autobiographical works are characterized by factual
evidence drawn from life. Scholars point out that truth is the essence of an
autobiographical work. [Roy Pascal]
According to Roy Pascal, the author may not reveal all the truths of their
life; some writers do not wish to disclose the truths of their lives.
The author's memory serves as the foundation for autobiographical novels.
Important aspects of autobiographical novels include: a) Milieu – depiction of the
environment; b) Self – the manifestation of the "writer's self";
c) Subjectivity – one of the main factors, as the events of the autobiographical work
are generally narrated in the first-person perspective that’s to say, by the author's
point of view.
Herald Nickolson stated
: “A writer shapes his artistic work not by showing
his fame or achievements, but by providing evidence in autobiography. Writers let
the readers draw conclusions about the shortcomings in their life.”
Autobiographical works can have an educational significance. A writer
attempts to teach life lessons to the reader by showing the mistakes he has made
throughout his life in his autobiographical work.
Roy Pascal compares revealing personal information in an artistic work to
the disclosure of the writer's inner world. The writer searches for their identity
while writing the entire literary work.
H.G. Wells makes the following statement about autobiographical works
: "I
write the story of my life to forget the shortcomings and problems sealed in my
memory. The main task of autobiographical works for the writer is to reveal their
"self" through words.
6
S. Manisha. Theory of Autobiography. 2008. ‒ P.17.
7
S. Manisha. Theory of Autobiography. 2008. ‒ P.20.
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CONCLUSION.
An author may not appear as an independent character or figure in American
autobiographical works. Instead, authors may reimagine and creatively depict their
past life through a fictional character. Certain compositional and artistic
characteristics of autobiographical works are noticeable in American literature:
1. The author uses a fictional character in his literary work. According to the
writer's concept, his own self is reimagined as a fictional image. For example, Jack
London chose Martin Eden as a character fighting against social vices in his novel
Martin Eden
.
2. In full autobiographical works – an author writes about the events he has
experienced in his life. Of course, attention is given to the chronological order of
these events. The events of the artistic work are narrated in the first-person "I"
perspective. For instance, Jack London's novel
The Road
covers the events from
the 1890s, in which the author recounts his experiences as a traveler during a time
when the United States was undergoing a severe economic crisis. In
The Road
,
Jack London describes his journeys and struggles as a homeless "hobo" (traveler);
the writer reflects on the hardships and problems faced by people who experienced
poverty during the Great Depression. In this work, London reveals the difficulties
of his own life, which proves that
The Road
is an autobiographical work.
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