Biographical criticism examines how an author's life experiences are reflected in and can help explain their creative works. It asserts that an author's personal history unintentionally affects their writing. To perform a biographical criticism, one must first gather biographical facts about the author, then analyze how autobiographical elements are portrayed accurately or changed in the work, and determine if insights into the author's life are revealed and how their life experiences deepen understanding of the text. Key questions focus on identifying biographical details used or altered in the work and how the author viewed their own life as typical or extraordinary.

1. Biographical Criticism A subcategory of Historical Criticism Liana Cote Montminy presents:

2. Biographical Criticism Biographical criticism asserts that an author’s own life must affect his or her work Biographical criticism is a personal version of historical criticism – an author’s personal history must affect his or her work

3. Some literature will be intentionally autobiographical Biographical criticism examines to what extent an author’s life unintentionally affects his work

4. The biographical information is the key! Obviously, the first step is to get some biographical information about the author!

5. How do I attempt an biographical criticism? A biographical criticism will consider the following questions:

6. Question 1 What biographical facts has the author used?

7. Question 2 What biographical facts has the author changed?

8. Question 3 Does the work provide any insights into the author’s life?

9. Question 4 How do the facts about the author’s life increase our understanding of the text?

10. Question 5 In what ways does the author view his life as “typical”? or In what ways does the author view her life as significant or extraordinary?

11. Next in the series: Virginia Woolf: Her life in her work