What Is a Biographical Narrative?

A biographical narrative tells the story of a person other than the author. The story can come
from personal observation or from history. Just as an autobiographical narrative grants other
people insights into our lives, a biographical narrative gives us insight into someone else’s
life, often someone we care about deeply.
In order to get started on writing your biographical narrative, you will need to decide on the person you will write about,
called the subject. You will then decide on a topic, and then you will request an interview with your chosen person.
Subject: The subject of your biographical narrative will be a person close to you, such as your mom, dad,
grandparent, another family member, or even a neighbor.
Topic: The topic of your biographical narrative will be a specific aspect or moment in the history of your
subject’s life, which he or she will share with you through a personal interview. You can ask the person for
ideas on what they would like to share with you, or you can think about what you would like to know more
about them.

A biographical narrative is a story that relates the key events and facts about a person's life from a
first-person perspective. The writer of a biographical narrative describes the events in a chronological or
logical sequence and reflects upon their significance. Use of descriptive details expands upon and explains
shifts in the person's perspective.

A biographical narrative contains biological information, physical descriptions, action details, anecdotes
and personal interpretations of the subject. Authors of biological narratives typically choose people or
characters that have personal significance to them. The point or direction of the narrative outlines the
personal impact the subject has in the author's life. In a biographical narrative, the author highlights certain
details to develop an in-depth impression of the person. Sensory details replace direct explanations. The
author creates an emotional impact with the narrative using specific and highly descriptive words and
phrases.

Thoughts and summaries expand upon the details and emphasize the turning points in the narrative.
Personal perspective is a key aspect of a biographical narrative. The thoughts of the author relate the turning
points of the subject to their own life throughout the narrative. The introduction and conclusion of the
narrative tie the elements of the story together and summarize the overall meaning.

Biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like
education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or
curriculum vitae (résumé), a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various aspects of his or her life,
including intimate details of experience, and may include an analysis of the subject's personality.

Biographical works are usually non-fiction, but fiction can also be used to portray a person's life. One in-depth form
of biographical coverage is called legacy writing. Works in diverse media, from literature to film, form the genre
known as biography.

An authorized biography is written with the permission, cooperation, and at times, participation of a subject or a
subject's heirs. An autobiography is written by the person himself or herself, sometimes with the assistance of a
collaborator or ghostwriter.

A biography is a story of a person's life, written by another author. The writer of a biography is called a biographer
while the person written about is known as the subject or biographee.

Biographies usually take the form of a narrative, proceeding chronologically through the stages of a person's life.

A biographical essay is a comparatively short work of nonfiction about certain aspects of a person's life. By necessity,
this sort of essay is much more selective than a full-length biography, usually focusing only on key experiences and
events in the subject's life.

Rowan Atkinson Biography

(1955–)

UPDATED:
MAY 14, 2019
ORIGINAL:
APR 27, 2017

Comic actor and writer Rowan Atkinson starred on the TV series 'Not the Nine O'clock News' and
'Blackadder.' He is best known for his infamous role as Mr. Bean in the television series and 1997 feature
film of the same name.
Who Is Rowan Atkinson?

English actor, comedian and screenwriter Rowan Atkinson was born on January 6, 1955. In 1979, Atkinson wrote
for and starred in the BBC's Not the Nine O'clock News. He later landed a role on the television
series Blackadder and subsequent spin-off TV specials. In 1990, he starred as his originally developed character Mr.
Bean on the television series of the same name. Mr. Bean was adapted for film in 1997, and enjoyed wide success.
Background

Comic actor and writer Rowan Sebastian Atkinson was born on January 6, 1955, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Rowan Atkinson is most famous for his roles in classic sitcoms, including Blackadder and Mr. Bean.

Atkinson studied at Newcastle University and Oxford University, and earned a master's degree in electrical
engineering. He got his start performing sketches while studying at Oxford, first appearing in Oxford revues at the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Soon, he was entertaining at theater clubs and on comedy shows for BBC Radio 3. In
1979, Atkinson wrote for and starred in the BBC's Not the Nine O'clock News. In 1981, Atkinson became the
youngest performer to star in a one-man show in the West End.

Atkinson later appeared in theatrical productions like The Nerd (1984), The New Revue (1986) and The
Sneeze (1988). He then landed parts on such television shows as Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979-
82), Blackadder (1983-89) and The Thin Blue Line (1995-96). The success of Blackadder spurred the creation of the
TV specials Blackadder's Christmas Carol and Blackadder: The Cavalier Years—both of which aired in 1988.

In 1990, Atkinson starred as his originally developed character Mr. Bean on the TV series of the same name. The
successful comedy series was adapted for film in 1997. Atkinson reprised his famous Mr. Bean character in a
comedy sketch at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

Atkinson's other film credits include Bean: the Ultimate Disaster Movie (1997), Johnny English(2003) and Keeping
Mum (2005).

Personal

In 1990, Atkinson married wife Sunetra, a makeup artist. They had two children before divorcing in late 2015. In
2017, he became a father for the third time, this time with actress girlfriend Louise Ford.

In 2001, Atkinson reportedly came to the rescue when the pilot of his private plane passed out mid-flight, handling
the controls until the pilot revived. Later, the actor was unwittingly featured in a series of online hoaxes that
attempted to spread computer viruses and hack credit card information via fake news about his death.

Profile

A profile is a biographical essay, usually developed through a combination of anecdote, interview, incident, and
description. And it is a brief written description that provides information about something or someone.

The Parts of a Profile

"One major reason writers create profiles is to let others know more about the people who are important to them or
who shape the world in which we live. . . . [T]he introduction to a profile needs to show readers that the subject is
someone they need to know more about--right now. . . . Writers also use the introduction of a profile to highlight some
key feature of the subject's personality, character, or values .
"The body of a profile . . . includes descriptive details that help readers visualize the subject's actions and hear the
subject's words. . . .

"Writers also use the body of a profile to provide logical appeals in the form of numerous examples that show that the
subject is indeed making a difference in the community. . . .

"Finally, the conclusion of a profile often contains one final quote or anecdote that nicely captures the essence of the
individual."

Types of Profiles

In “Telling True Stories,” writer Jacqui Banaszynski, in his essay “Profile,” identifies three types of profiles:

Cradle-to-Current Profile. It is a profile about the person’s entire life, up to the present. The writer invests a great
deal of time in researching, writing, and fact checking.

Niche Profile. It is a profile that is 1,000 words or less, and can be written in a short period of time. The writer
composes a profile about someone in the news. This type of profile includes relevant background information. For
instance, if the writer is crafting a profile about a person who won a Pulitzer for Literature, the writer would include
education and previously published works. But biography details about place of birth and early education would not
be relevant. Instead the writer focuses on “telling details.”

Paragraph Profile. This type of profile is brief, providing essential details about accomplishments or achievements,
and the person’s significance to the story. It is a paragraph or two, and part of a larger story.

CHARACTER SKETCH

In composition, a character sketch is a brief description in prose of a particular person or type of person. In writing
one, you go into the character's manner, distinct characteristics, nature, and the way that person behaves him or herself.
It's also called a profile or character analysis and doesn't necessarily have to be about a fictional character.

How to Approach a Character Sketch

Even though it's an informative type of essay, a character sketch doesn't have to be dry and only descriptive. "It can
also impress or entertain the reader or praise the subject," notes author R.E. Myers. "The facts, traits, idiosyncrasies,
and accomplishments of the subject provide the fabric of the character sketch. Anecdotes and quotes are also helpful
in portraying the subject. You can stress the subject's personality, appearance, character or accomplishments."
("Figures of Speech: A Study and Practice Guide." Teaching & Learning Company, 2008)

If analyzing a fictional character, you can also go into the person's conflicts, how the person changes, his or her attitude
toward others, and role in the story. You can list the person's likes and dislikes and how you feel about the character.
If the character is the narrator, you can discuss whether the person is an unreliable narrator.

A character sketch can also be satiric, as in work by authors such as Evelyn Waugh (1903–1966) and Thomas Pynchon
(1933–) or modern-day television sit-coms. As a composition, a satiric sketch would likely need to be written in the
character's voice and point of view to work.

Use of a Character Sketch

Besides being an essay type that students write in composition classes, fiction authors can use character sketches in
their prewriting or drafting stages of short stories or novels as a means to develop the people who'll inhabit the world
they're creating. Writers who plan series (or even those who just end up writing a sequel to a successful story) can
find character sketches useful as a reference for maintaining consistency of detail or voice, if the character ends up
being a narrator in the subsequent work or has a particular vocal tic, slang vocabulary, jargon use, or accent. Often the
act of taking on the character's voice in a sketch will assist the author in discovering aspects of the character and
fleshing him or her out to be more realistic. Character sketches can also be a task to work on when stuck for a plot
point, character's motivation to move the plot forward, or attitude/reaction toward a conflict or event.

In nonfiction writing, character sketches can be useful for biographers or feature article writers as a prewriting tool
and as descriptive material to mine for the finished work.

Examples

Annie Dillard's Sketch of Her Childhood Friend Judy Schoyer

"My friend Judy Schoyer was a thin, messy, shy girl whose thick blond curls lapped over her glasses. Her cheeks,
chin, nose, and blue eyes were round; the lenses and frames of her glasses were round, and so were her heavy curls.
Her long spine was supple; her legs were long and thin so her knee socks fell down. She did not care if her knee socks
fell down. When I first knew her, as my classmate at the Ellis School, she sometimes forgot to comb her hair. She was
so shy she tended not to move her head, but only let her eyes rove about. If my mother addressed her, or a teacher, she
held her long-legged posture lightly, alert, like a fawn ready to bolt but hoping its camouflage will work a little longer."
("An American Childhood." Harper & Row, 1987.)

Bill Barich's Sketch of a Publican

"The publican, Peter Keith Page, lives with his family in a flat on the second floor. Page is a fiftyish man, slender and
well-tailored, whose manner might be described as studiously charming. His mustache and hair are tinged with auburn,
and this, along with a sharp nose and chin, makes him look a bit like a fox. He enjoys jokes, subtle conversations,
double entendres. When he takes one of his turns behind the bar, he works at a measured pace, often pausing to ask
after his patrons' health and well-being." ("At the Fountain." In "Traveling Light." Viking, 1984.)

character sketch

 a short piece of writing describing a person, esp. in terms of personality traits and behavior patterns
 a theatrical portrayal of a highly individualized character or role