Historicizing Life-Writing and Egodocuments in Early Modern Europe

This volume explores the study of life-writing and egodocuments in early modern Europe, highlighting the variable and unstable nature of the self and the need to consider historical and social/cultural contexts. It suggests that egodocuments can be used for writing life-histories and proposes a wider range of historical documents to consider.

Format: Hardback
Length: 319 pages
Publication date: 12 January 2022
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This comprehensive volume delves into the historical study of life-writing and egodocuments, shedding light on early modern European perspectives on self, self-fashioning, and identity. While life-writing and the analysis of egodocuments are often treated as distinct fields, the individual as a purposeful social actor serves as a vital common ground, offering a rich theoretical and practical framework for their harmonious synthesis within a historical context. These essays, echoing scholars from diverse disciplines, challenge the notion of an autonomous self and the continuous identity narrative unfolding in a unified personality. Instead, they propose that the early modern self was multifaceted and unstable, requiring exploration through selves situated in specific historical and social/cultural contexts, as revealed through the diverse range of historical documents examined herein.

The volume is organized into three sections:

The first section explores the theoretical frameworks for understanding egodocuments in early modern Europe, drawing upon insights from various disciplines. It examines the historical, social, and cultural factors that shaped the creation and reception of egodocuments, as well as the methodological approaches employed to analyze them.

The second section delves into the practical applications of egodocuments in writing life-histories today. It explores how these documents can be utilized as sources of information, inspiration, and narrative structure, highlighting their relevance in contemporary research and writing.

The third section broadens the scope of egodocuments by examining a wider range of historical documents that can be considered egodocuments. It explores various forms of personal writing, such as diaries, letters, memoirs, and autobiographies, and their role in shaping self-identity and constructing historical narratives.

In conclusion, this volume offers a valuable contribution to the study of life-writing and egodocuments, providing a comprehensive historical perspective on these forms of personal expression. By exploring the common ground between life-writing and egodocuments, it sheds light on the complex and multifaceted nature of self-identity and offers practical insights for scholars and researchers in the field.

Weight: 565g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030824822
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022