Open AccessBirgitte Possing. Understanding Biographies; Caitríona Ní Dhúill. Metabiography
Author(s) -
Henrik Rosengren
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european journal of life writing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2211-243X
DOI - 10.21827/ejlw.9.37311
Subject(s) - audience measurement , biography , context (archaeology) , narrative , style (visual arts) , history , ivory tower , literature , life writing , composition (language) , writing style , sociology , media studies , classics , art , linguistics , political science , philosophy , law , archaeology
Both in the Scandinavian countries and in Germany, the status of biographical writing has changed to a far greater extent in the last fifty years than in the Anglo-Saxon world. In the latter context, biography has been more popular than in Germany and, for example, Denmark and Sweden. It has continuously been regarded as both a genre worthy from a scholarly career point of view and as a means for scholars, such as historians, to reach a wider audience outside the academic ivory tower. Explanations for this difference may lie in diverse scholarly traditions where American and British scholars have consciously strived for a larger readership than the purely specialized and interdisciplinary one. An Anglo-Saxon narrative tradition in which language, style and composition have been key words has supported biography writing.