Fictions in Autobiography

Library Journal

Eakin conceives of autobiography as a performative act in which the self is created in language. In brilliant readings of Mary McCarthy, Henry James, and Sartre he explores the role of fiction in the process of self-invention, arguing that with autobiography fiction is not deception but a means of self-revelation that captures psychological truth. The study is somewhat disjointed, as the last two chapters veer away from the attention to fictionalizing that binds together the first three. But the entire text shimmers with fresh insight into the nature of autobiography. Eakin surfs the roiled waters of theoretical discourse with ease and grace. The performative act of his own study is nothing less than dazzling. Leland Krauth, English Dept., Univ. of Colorado, Boulder