Narrative Structure in Victorian Autobiography

Abstract

Focuses principally on strategies writers use to construct life stories, especially ones that expand beyond the traditional format established by John Bunyan with its reliance on biblical typology. Concentrates on John Stuart Mill’s Autobiography to illustrate the complexity of the Victorian life story that explores self-development. Explains how Victorian autobiographies deal with both public events and inner development. Notes briefly how autobiographies by Newman, Trollope, Darwin, and Spencer follow these patterns.