Norton Chapter Memoirs
A memoir "is a narrative that reveals experiences within the author's lifetime. But memoirs are typically less formal, less
encompassing, less obsessed with factual events and, alternatively, center their primary focus around a mood or
attitude toward a particular section of one's life" (Wordclay).
Key Features (according to Bullock and Goggin):
A good story.
Vivid details.
Clear significance. (guess where your thesis is?)
As always, consider "the rhetorical situation":
PURPOSE
AUDIENCE
GENRE
STANCE
MEDIA/DESIGN
Ways to organize:
From beginning to end. Conclude with signficance.
From end, tell how event happened. Conclude with significance.
Examples of citing:
Wordclay. (2009). Differences between memoir and autobiography. Retrieved July 6, 2009, from
http://www.wordclay.com/genre/memoirautobiography.aspx (APA format)
Wordclay. "Differences between memoir and autobiography." 6 July 2009
<http://www.wordclay.com/genre/memoirautobiography.aspx> (MLA format)