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Autobiographical novel
Novel using autofiction techniques
Novel using autofiction techniques
An autobiographical novel, also known as an autobiographical fiction, fictional autobiography, or autobiographical fiction novel, is a type of novel which uses autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from a typical autobiography or memoir by being a work of fiction presented in the same fashion as a typical non-fiction autobiography by "imitating the conventions of an autobiography."
Because an autobiographical novel is partially fiction, the author does not ask the reader to expect the text to fulfill the "autobiographical pact". Names and locations are often changed and events are recreated to make them more dramatic but the story still bears a close resemblance to that of the author's life. While the events of the author's life are recounted, there is no pretense of exact truth. Events may be exaggerated or altered for artistic or thematic purposes.
Fully autobiographical novels can be distinguished from semi-autobiographical novels or romans à clef. Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar is often considered to be an example of a semi-autobiographical novel.
Notable autobiographical novels
| Author | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| *A Death in the Family* | 1957 | |
| *Little Women* | 1868 | |
| *The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian* | 2007 | |
| *I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings* | 1969 | |
| *Go Tell It on the Mountain* | 1953 | |
| *Empire of the Sun* | 1984 | |
| *Once Upon a Time: A Floating Opera* | 1994 | |
| *The Adventures of Augie March* | 1953 | |
| *Lavengro: The Scholar, the Gypsy, the Priest* | 1851 | |
| *Villette* | 1853 | |
| *Rubyfruit Jungle* | 1973 | |
| *Post Office* | 1971 | |
| *Junkie* | 1953 | |
| *The Way of All Flesh* | 1903 | |
| *Journey to the End of the Night* | 1932 | |
| *Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life* | 1997 | |
| *Youth: Scenes from Provincial Life II* | 2002 | |
| *Summertime* | 2009 | |
| *David Copperfield* | 1850 | |
| *Great Expectations* | 1861 | |
| *Granny, Iliko, Illarion, and I* | 1960 | |
| *The Sunny Night* | 1967 | |
| *The Lover* | 1984 | |
| *The Mill on the Floss* | 1860 | |
| *Invisible Man* | 1952 | |
| *Happening* | 2000 | |
| *The Years* | 2008 | |
| *A Fan's Notes* | 1967 | |
| *This Side of Paradise* | 1920 | |
| *A Million Little Pieces* | 2003 | |
| *My Friend Leonard* | 2005 | |
| *The Thief's Journal* | 1949 | |
| *Our Lady of the Flowers* | 1943 | |
| *Looking for Alaska* | 2005 | |
| *The End of the Affair* | 1951 | |
| *A Farewell to Arms* | 1929 | |
| *October Sky* | 1998 | |
| *Tom Brown's School Days* | 1857 | |
| ** | 1916 | |
| *On the Road* | 1957 | |
| *The Dharma Bums* | 1958 | |
| *Fatelessness* | 1975 | |
| *My Struggle* series | 2009–2011 | |
| *Sons and Lovers* | 1913 | |
| *Richard Yates* | 2010 | |
| *John Barleycorn* | 1913 | |
| *The Hasheesh Eater* | 1857 | |
| *A River Runs Through It and Other Stories* | 1976 | |
| *Flowering Nettle* | 1934 | |
| *Of Human Bondage* | 1915 | |
| *Tropic of Cancer* | 1934 | |
| *Tropic of Capricorn* | 1939 | |
| *The Tao of Muhammad Ali* | 1996 | |
| *Ciaphas Cain* | 2003 | |
| *The Things They Carried* | 1990 | |
| *A Personal Matter* | 1964 | |
| *Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance* | 1973 | |
| *The Bell Jar* | 1963 | |
| *In Search of Lost Time* | 1927 | |
| *Shantaram* | 2003 | |
| *Anywhere but Here* | 1986 | |
| *The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas* | 1933 | |
| *Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas* | 1971 | |
| *Childhood* | 1852 | |
| *Boyhood* | 1854 | |
| *Youth* | 1856 | |
| *A Voice Through a Cloud* | 1950 | |
| *Maiden Voyage* | 1943 | |
| *Night* | 1958 | |
| *Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit* | 1985 | |
| *Of Time and the River* | 1935 | |
| *Look Homeward, Angel* | 1929 | |
| *Old School* | 2003 |
Notes
References
References
- (2019). "Handbook of Autobiography / Autofiction".
- Philippe Lejeune, "Autobiographical Pact", pg. 19.
- (2021). "WHAT IS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL FICTION? AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GENRE".
- (2025-11-04). "Definition of ROMAN À CLEF".
- Clay, Ellie. (2023-01-20). "Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar, 1963".
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