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ction and Autobiography Page 10f2

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COMPARING FICTION- AND

Au~rOBIOGRAPHY

I 1C!l:CTION
Common (narrator is a
II
First person charactu) e.g. Nick
narrator ("P') CarraWHy in The Great
Gatsby
Real historical events
sometimes feature in
novels -- e.g. the fixing of
Factual events the W01 Ld Series,
bootlegging etc. in The
.~
Great Gatsby
A1JTOBIOGRAPIIY
Wways in the first person (though we can som
distinguish between ''personal'' and ''public'' se
e.g. Maya in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Real events, both domestic and public ... The £
depends on the author -e:'g., a'politician might f
mainly on his/her public life. I Know Why the
Bird Sings has a mainly personal focus but ag .
the background of racism, the Depression, etc.

Many autobiographies include .iinaginary seque

Always, though normally (e.g. the encounter between M::omma and the wit
(except in Sci-Fi, Horror dentist in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings).
Fictional events etc.) they simulate'real "factual" events are distorted in the process of
life events. crafting a story - dialogue is invented, details ar
included or omitted and so on..
:Figurath;e
Very common. An autobiography that did not
language (similes, figurative language would probably be rather dl/
metaphors etc.) VelY co mmon.
Know Why the Caged Bird Sings makes extensi
. use of figurative language.

Even in autobiography, this is fairly rare.

Relativtly rare. Time Non-chronological sequence (flashbacks, flash-
shifts are more common. forwards, foreshadowing etc.) very common. It
("Animal Farm" follows allows the author to create suspense, highlight
a strict chronological parallels/contrasts, add to the reader's understan
Cbronological of a character and so on. Authors often start wit
sequence, perhaps in
sequence order to demonstrate significant event or memory rather than the mo
clearly 1he decline of ofbirth. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, for
democracy under pig example, starts with an incident in a church wh
rule.) Maya was about 5 or 6, then shifts back to whet)
was 3. Later it continues to flash forwards and
backwards.

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 Fiction and Autobiography Page 2 of2

,,­ I II II ' .
This is common in

"seriom" literature,

Detailed
though :;ome genres (e.g..

characterisation,
thrillers. Sci-Fi) The focus of most autobiographies (e.g. I Know Ill,,:!
including emphasi se plot rather the Caged Bird Sings) is the narrator's personal
psychological than chaacter. Ironically, development. Sometimes other "characters" ar~
depth The Great Gatsby seems portrayed in considerable depth too - e.g. Mom i JIl
like an j nvestigation of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Gatsby's character but he
remains something of a
.. mystery even at the end.
Very common- e.g. East
Relatively common (e.g. description ofhome to
and We:;t Egg and the
Detailed settings such as Stamps in I Know Why the Caged Bird
"valley )f ashes" in The
Sings).
Great Gatsby.
Many n,)vels include
Autobiographies tend to contain a series of "su b ­
A strong plot events ll~ading up to a
plots", though there is sometimes a dominant
climax llnd then down to
storyline (e.g. the narrator's pursuit ofwealth, ~
a resoluion. A "sub­
or justice).
plot" is ~ommon.

I 1Cfl}:CTION II AlJTOBIOGRAPfIY
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