Memoirs are The meaning of the word "memoirs"

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Memoirs are a wonderful opportunity to tell posterity about the true events of your time. This is an analysis of one's own personality, the identification of cause-and-effect relationships of life. The emotional richness of the narrative will help to feel the spirit of the era, to understand the essence of the author's thoughts. Meaningful life experience makes memoirs an invaluable example for future generations.

Origin of the word

The word "memoirs" comes from the French memoires, which translates as "memories". This word first appears in 1896. "Encyclopedic Dictionary" by F. A. Brockhaus and I. E. Efron tells about the genres of memoir literature.

Memoirs are non-fiction. They are characterized by a first-person narrative - a participant or witness of the events described. Memoirs are a kind of confessional prose. They convey the mood of the era, the worldview of people, the culture of the country. They are able to tell about the events of that time as the author sees them.

A person's autobiographical confession carries an evaluativeperception of one's time: surrounding people, their status and habits, mindset and thoughts. Memoirs can be attributed by genre to biography, historical prose, essay. But documentary, realism brings memoir literature closer to personal diaries, letters, notes.

What is a memoir?

Memoirs are the notes of a real person. His subjective perception of facts, events, relationships, people. Memoirs have always been a source for recreating the historical picture of a certain era.

In such literary confessions, in addition to personal relationships, one can read about the aesthetic, spiritual preferences of people of that time. It is their subjective opinion that distinguishes memoirs from historical chronicles. They are interesting in how a particular person perceives the surrounding reality. But this sometimes interferes with the perception of time. A person's evaluative perception can be biased. Therefore, the personality of the author, his education, his mindset is so important for a literary confession.

With the advent of writing, it was interesting for a person to write down his thoughts, to take notes about events. Memoirs were formed as a genre in the 16th-17th centuries, when the realization of the uniqueness of each human personality came. The value of the author's thought became the impetus for writing a literary confession. People conveyed the flavor of the times through their personal opinions.

Who wrote the memoirs?

Memoirs of generals and well-known politicians are of particular value. They help to reproduce the arena of battles or political conflicts. Court life, diplomatic intrigues, religiousscandals are described in essays by Marguerite de Valois, Duke de Rogan, La Rochefoucauld, Louis de Conde. Even executioners in the 16th century wrote memoirs.

In the Napoleonic era, almost all the generals and those close to the emperor left behind interesting literary notes.

Russian memoirs begin their story from the Time of Troubles. They represent the usual chronology of events. Under Peter I, a massive surge of documentary notes was caused by the confrontation between Peter and Princess Sophia. Later military campaigns, the capture of cities are described by contemporaries of the king.

Further, the genre is gaining momentum more and more. In Russia, the reign of each of the kings and queens is described by their close associates and relatives.

Under Catherine II, memoirs acquired a clear structure. They write the mores of the time, political differences, social characteristics are given.

In our time, literary confession has become an important part of famous people. Actors, military men, politicians, diplomats, doctors, mediums are trying to leave their mark in literary work. G. Ford, A. Christie, D. Rockefeller, T. Okunevskaya, M. Gorbachev, G. Vishnevskaya, M. Vlady - description of life, events, interesting meetings and reflections can absorb the genre of memoirs.

Why write memoirs?

The meaning of the word "memoirs" implies reasoning, memories of a particular person. Thinking about the life they have lived, people tend to take stock, try to justify themselves or regret their actions. In old age, most often comes the desire to write aboutof your life, share your mistakes and victories with the new generation.

For famous people, a literary confession is an occasion to talk about exciting or significant events, fateful meetings. Someone is trying to describe their hard way, someone is trying to justify themselves, someone is trying to earn money for a comfortable old age.

Most often, memoirs are written in order to relive your youth, remember its important milestones, funny or sad moments.