‘A New Departure in Biography’: Samuel Smiles’ Writing

Abstract

Samuel Smiles has been credited with creating a new style of biography in Self-Help and subsequent works. Captivated by the rhythm and pulse of everyday life, Smiles focuses on the lives of people who contributed to Britain’s rise as an industrial power. His stylistic innovations are linked not only to his focus on everyday workers but also on the readership he sought to cultivate. Viewing biography as an exemplary genre – one that could teach life lessons and serve as inspiration – Smiles downplays moments of crisis and qualities of genius, instead highlighting his subjects’ perseverance, diligence, application, and attention; he also stresses the importance of collaboration in the advancement of useful knowledge. The examples of Smiles’ new approach to biography are evident in Self-Help, notably in his repeated references to inventor James Watt. The anecdotal, fragmented, and repetitive approach Smiles employs, often cited as a weakness in his work, is actually a calculated strategy designed to appeal to modern readers who wish to capitalize on their few free moments to improve their lives and contribute to the productivity of the nation. The structure of Self-Help resembles the railroad industry, which he admired: the vast railway network finds its narrative parallel in a book of unbounded, intense, and disruptive energy.