Reading Mediated Life Narratives: Auto/Biographical Agency in the Book, Museum, Social Media, and Archives

This ground-breaking exploration uncovers the strategies used by authors, artists, publishers, curators, archivists, and social media corporations to shape, control, or resist the auto/biographical in contemporary life texts. It focuses on life texts found in material books, museums, social media, and archives that present perceptions of individuality and autonomy. Amy Carlson questions what agents act upon these narratives, what they gain and lose, how technologies shape or stymie the auto/biographical "I," and how mediations affect larger issues of social and collective memory. She stages an intercession, showing how it is increasingly necessary to register mediated agents and processes modifying the witnessing or recuperation of original texts.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 22 February 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This groundbreaking exploration delves into the unseen mediation and re-mediation of life narratives in both online and physical spaces. It uncovers the diverse strategies employed by authors, artists, publishers, curators, archivists, and social media corporations to shape, control, or resist the auto/biographical aspects in these texts. Focusing on contemporary life narratives found in material books, museums, social media, and archives, Reading Mediated Life Narratives unveils the intricate traces of personal, cultural, technological, and political mediation that must be taken into account when developing reading strategies for such life narratives.

Amy Carlson raises thought-provoking questions such as who acts upon these narratives, what benefits and losses arise for the text, creator, and audience, how evolving technologies shape or hinder the auto/biographical "I," and how these mediations impact broader issues of social and collective memory. Through an examination of the range of sites where vulnerability and intervention can occur, Carlson offers an intercession, demonstrating the growing necessity to acknowledge mediated agents and processes that modify the witnessing or recuperation of original texts, potentially shaping our reception.

By carefully considering our memory, creation, and control of images, voices, words, and records, Reading Mediated Life Narratives unveils how we construct and negotiate our social identities and memories, while also shedding light on the systems that govern us. This insightful exploration encourages us to reflect on the ways in which we remember, create, and shape our narratives, ultimately shaping our understanding of the world and our place within it.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350324664