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:
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