Life Writing “from Below” in Europe: Authors, Archives, Avenues, Arenas
Drawing on a large body of scholarship from the last forty years, this article offers an overview of the diverse forms of life writing “from below” (by authors from low down in a class or status hierarchy) in Europe since the early modern period (including autobiographies, diaries, letters, as well...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Groningen Press
2018-03-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Life Writing |
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| Online Access: | https://ejlw.eu/article/view/31503 |
| _version_ | 1818536795266088960 |
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| author | T.G. Ashplant |
| author_facet | T.G. Ashplant |
| author_sort | T.G. Ashplant |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drawing on a large body of scholarship from the last forty years, this article offers an overview of the diverse forms of life writing “from below” (by authors from low down in a class or status hierarchy) in Europe since the early modern period (including autobiographies, diaries, letters, as well as transcripts of oral testimonies); and the varied and developing national traditions of collecting and archiving which have developed since the mid-twentieth century. It locates such writing within a field of force between an exteriority pole constituted by the state (or by organisations of civil society, or informal community pressures) which compel or otherwise elicit life writings from below, and an interiority pole of the impulse of someone hitherto excluded to narrate their life in some public sphere; and examines diverse ways (state compulsion or solicitation; citizen engagement, challenge or resistance) in which these pressures give rise to the production of texts. It identifies the roles of intermediaries within civil society (patrons, sponsors, commercial publishers, collaborators) as links between individual (potential) authors and the public sphere. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:42:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-67d826714afc40b5ae2e8c657ce7c64c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2211-243X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:42:32Z |
| publishDate | 2018-03-01 |
| publisher | University of Groningen Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Life Writing |
| spelling | doaj.art-67d826714afc40b5ae2e8c657ce7c64c2022-12-22T00:54:34ZengUniversity of Groningen PressEuropean Journal of Life Writing2211-243X2018-03-017LWFB10LWFB4810.5463/ejlw.7.24131503Life Writing “from Below” in Europe: Authors, Archives, Avenues, ArenasT.G. Ashplant0King's College LondonDrawing on a large body of scholarship from the last forty years, this article offers an overview of the diverse forms of life writing “from below” (by authors from low down in a class or status hierarchy) in Europe since the early modern period (including autobiographies, diaries, letters, as well as transcripts of oral testimonies); and the varied and developing national traditions of collecting and archiving which have developed since the mid-twentieth century. It locates such writing within a field of force between an exteriority pole constituted by the state (or by organisations of civil society, or informal community pressures) which compel or otherwise elicit life writings from below, and an interiority pole of the impulse of someone hitherto excluded to narrate their life in some public sphere; and examines diverse ways (state compulsion or solicitation; citizen engagement, challenge or resistance) in which these pressures give rise to the production of texts. It identifies the roles of intermediaries within civil society (patrons, sponsors, commercial publishers, collaborators) as links between individual (potential) authors and the public sphere.https://ejlw.eu/article/view/31503life writing from belowworkers’ writingpeasant writinglabouringclass poetryauto/biographical practicesautobiographical injunctionpatronagearchives |
| spellingShingle | T.G. Ashplant Life Writing “from Below” in Europe: Authors, Archives, Avenues, Arenas European Journal of Life Writing life writing from below workers’ writing peasant writing labouringclass poetry auto/biographical practices autobiographical injunction patronage archives |
| title | Life Writing “from Below” in Europe: Authors, Archives, Avenues, Arenas |
| title_full | Life Writing “from Below” in Europe: Authors, Archives, Avenues, Arenas |
| title_fullStr | Life Writing “from Below” in Europe: Authors, Archives, Avenues, Arenas |
| title_full_unstemmed | Life Writing “from Below” in Europe: Authors, Archives, Avenues, Arenas |
| title_short | Life Writing “from Below” in Europe: Authors, Archives, Avenues, Arenas |
| title_sort | life writing from below in europe authors archives avenues arenas |
| topic | life writing from below workers’ writing peasant writing labouringclass poetry auto/biographical practices autobiographical injunction patronage archives |
| url | https://ejlw.eu/article/view/31503 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tgashplant lifewritingfrombelowineuropeauthorsarchivesavenuesarenas |