ENGL 5966 Memoir and Affect

Memoir studies, which includes genres such as autobiography, the personal essay, and the emergent field of autotheory, is a rich site from which to consider how a writer crafts a self in relation to the world. Using affect theory, or the theory of no-linguistic forces that organize human modes of relating, this course will introduce students to the diverse field of memoir studies. In addition to relevant theoretical and critical texts, students will read a variety of primary texts that demonstrate a range of memoir modalities that have been shaping the field since the mid-twentieth century.