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ENGL 458 Life Story

Credits: 
3

The course will begin with an examination of some of the most original and influential examples of memoir and life story writing such as Caesar’s Gallic Wars (De Bello Gallico), Confessions of St. Augustine, and Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D. The aim will be to discover the modes employed traditionally by this kind of writing, namely: (a) the chronicle; (b) the confession; (c) the secular model; (d) exemplary lives of the saints. Using examples from different times and places, the course will then explore how the tradition has transcended and evolved beyond these generic boundaries.