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- Dictionarymemoir/ˈmɛmwɑː/
noun
- 1. a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge: "in 1924 she published a short memoir of her husband" Similar
- 2. an essay on a learned subject: "an important memoir on Carboniferous crustacea"
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What is a memoir? Discover what sets this nonfiction genre apart from an autobiography, the types of memoirs, and how to write one of your own.
a book or other piece of writing based on the writer's personal knowledge of famous people, places, or events: She has written a memoir of her encounters with famous movie stars over the years. memoirs [ plural ] (US also memoir) a written record of a usually famous person's own life and experiences: She plans to write her memoirs. See more.
The meaning of MEMOIR is an official note or report : memorandum. How to use memoir in a sentence.
Jan 29, 2024 · The memoir form distills facts and memories into a cogent, compelling narrative. Learn how to write a memoir with this easy 7 step guide.
- I. What Is A Memoir?
- II. Examples and Explanation
- III. The Importance of Memoir
- IV. Examples in Literature
- V. Examples in Popular Culture
- VI. Related Terms
“Memoir” comes from the French word for memory. It’s a genre of literature where the author writes about his or her memories, usually going back to childhood. Memoirs are typically written by celebrities, world leaders, pro athletes, etc. But anyone can write a memoir, and sometimes they turn out to be great works of literature even when the author...
Example 1
Saint Augustine’sConfessions is one of the most influential works of Christian theology, and it’s also a memoir. In the book, Augustine tells the story of his life and of how he found God after spending his youth wallowing in sin. The book has inspired countless people to recommit to their faith, and influenced the Western philosophical understanding of concepts like love, morality, and independence.
Example 2
Tom Burgenthal, a Holocaust survivor who went on to become a judge on the International Court of Justice, wrote a memoir about his time in Auschwitz. In the book, Burgenthal tells the remarkable story of how he survived the death camp as a ten-year-old boy, and how this experience inspired him to work for the International Court to prevent other children from ever going through such horrors.
A memoir can serve all sorts of functions. The main one, of course, is just to tell a good story. A good memoir, like a good life, can be funny, sad, inspiring, absurd, and deeply relatable. By writing your stories down and figuring out their common themes, you can understand how you got to where you are today. In addition to telling a good story, ...
Example 1
Commentaries on the Gallic Wars, by Julius Caesar, is one of the first major works of memoir. In the book, Caesar talks about his experiences fighting in Gaul. This was definitely a propagandistic memoir: Caesar presents himself as a conquering hero triumphantly marching through barbarian lands. This was intended to get people on his side against his enemies – both his external enemies (the Gauls) and the internal enemies who opposed his rise to the throne.
Example 2
The philosopher Rousseau wrote an incredibly bizarre memoir about his experiences as a young man in France. Rousseau was an eccentric who frequently violated the rules of polite society in pretty extreme ways. Because he was a philosopher, many people expect Rousseau’s memoir to be a dry read, but they’re in for a shock! Some people see this as a kind of philosophical propaganda as well – Rousseau wanted people to disrespect authority and throw away their “civilized” lives in a return to “nat...
Example 1
David Sedaris, brother of the actress Amy Sedaris, writes hilarious memoirs about his bizarre family and the experiences he’s been through. His books (with titles like Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim) are structured with individual stories rather than a unified flow, but their common elements are humor, cynicism, and the surrealism.
Example 2
In the comic book Watchmen, one of the major events in the story is when Nite Owl publishes Under the Hood, his memoirs of being a superhero. In the memoirs, Nite Owl reveals some uncomfortable details about his fellow superheroes, and this causes some of the major controversies in the book.
Autobiography
While there are some subtle differences between memoir and autobiography, they’re basically the same thing. In both cases, the author is telling his or her life story, though in the case of a memoir it might be more a collection of isolated incidents, whereas in an autobiography the memories are all united into a single story. In addition, autobiography covers the author’s entire life, while a memoir may only cover one especially important or interesting portion of it.
Propaganda
Propaganda is art or literature with a deliberate political slant. Not all memoirs are propaganda, but many are – they’re written with the intent of getting a particular political message across. For example, when presidents write their memoirs it’s to influence how history will think of them: these authors are trying to persuade the reader that they made the right decision while in office, and so their memoirs have a propagandistic side.
Anecdote
An anecdote is a short story about something that you’ve seen or experienced. A memoir might be described as a collection of anecdotes. However, there are other uses of anecdote, including in essays. An anecdote can help frame your argument or illustrate a particular point. Be careful, though! While anecdotes are useful for illustration, they’re not the same thing as data, and generally should not be used as evidence for what’s happening in society (unless no data is available).
Feb 19, 2023 · What is a memoir? A memoir is a non-fiction story set in the author’s past during a specific period of their life. The name “memoir” comes from “memorie/memoria/memory,” as memoirs are essentially reminiscences of the author. A memoir is told completely through the author’s point of view.
A biography or autobiography tells the story "of a life", while a memoir often tells the story of a particular career, event, or time, such as touchstone moments and turning points in the author's life. The author of a memoir may be referred to as a memoirist or a memorialist.
