Entre el espejo, la máscara y la ausencia. Recorrido breve por la teoría de la autobiografía

Abstract

In recent time, autobiographical writing has come to occupy an important place in the literary scene, in light of that, theoretical and critical writing have developed a set of conceptual tools to make sense of the phenomenon of self-writing. This essay presents a historical outline of the main concepts that were developed, since the 19th century, in Autobiographical Theory. It explores the three periods introduced by James Olney in the 80’s; in first place the period of bios, composed by the works of Wilhelm Dilthey and Georg Misch; in second place there is the autos period with the proposals of Georges Gusdorf and Philippe Lejeune; and finally there is a look in the graphein period or the post-structuralist break with special attention to the essay “Autobiography as De-Facement” by Paul de Man.