Historical Writings Of The Early Middle Ages : Origins And Development Of Early Biographies And Hagiographies

Guibert of Nogent was a French monk, who had been born in 1055 and died circa 1125. There had been complications during his birth, which made his family fear for both his life and his mother’s. Desperate, his family rushed to their chapel where they, vowed to the Virgin Mary that, as Guibert puts it, “if the child were male, it would be consecrated a cleric in God’s service and hers.” Naturally, this vow dictated much of Guibert’s life and molded him into a genuinely religious man. Guibert wrote his autobiography at the monastery of Nogent in 1115, when he was sixty years old, under the title of Monodiae, meaning “Solitary Songs.” The autobiography genre was practically nonexistent at this time, so Guibert modeled his text after the most

Most biography movies usually are told from the point of view of a person whose name is in the title. The movie Amadeus by Milos Forman is about the famous musician and composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but the movie is not told from his point of view but from his rival, Antonio Salieri played by F. Murray Abraham. The story is set in 1823 as the elderly Antonio Salieri is placed in a lunatic asylum for attempting suicide. He launches into a long confession about his relationship with Mozart which set the main story to 1781. Amadeus is a period drama film. The main idea about this film is it is better to appreciate the gifts and talents of others than to mope around wallowing in self-pity. Forman uses a range of film techniques such as acting

Rather than reading something that brings you down, or reading something that has no purpose, when you read something inspiring it makes people feel good or encourages them or even makes them smile. When a writer writes a biography about a persons life yes the he or she tries to portray the truth but he or she is also giving inspiration to the reader or even giving them a role model to follow. That is why it is more important that the biography is inspiring rather than being impartial. To get the reader inspired and to maybe make a change in the

An autobiography is coined as 'the history of a person 's life written or told by that person ' (Dictionarycom,2016). The author positions the reader to interpret his text as an autobiography and does so through the use of storytelling and vivid imagery, thus positioning the reader to reconsider or their beliefs towards aboriginals (Pryor, 2010). Pryor 's life started as a small boy from North-East Queensland, he then ventured into the career path as model which led to the

“The story is told through the photographs, and so what may appear to be autobiographical is not always so. On the other hand, many of the events are completely fictional, although they may be true in a historical context. For some of these events, there are photographs; for others, the image is a collage; and in all cases, the result is entirely of my doing. So although it may appear that these stories are my family’s, they are not precisely, and yet they are. (xi)”

The author goes into detail about the dates and important people present during his existence. He mentions what was happening during that time and when certain things happened. For example, in the book he states “The Englishman

Augustine’s Confessions is an autobiography written around 400 A.D which details his spiritual journey, and each of the books address a certain element of Augustine’s steps in his spiritual path. In Book III, he develops his overcoming of lust by introducing the book with the line: “I went to Carthage, where I found myself in the midst of a hissing cauldron of lust.” (III.1, pp55). The theme of non-sexual lust instantly becomes the focal point of the book and Augustine presents the “hissing cauldron” as a low point in his relationship with God, for he wanders away from his creator by loving his own ways; however, he later discovers this was merely lust compared to the true love of God. In this essay, I will argue that Book III of Confessions

Einhard’s The Life of Charlemagne is one of several prominent texts from Mediaeval Europe. The main focus of the text is on the life of Charlemagne, the Frankish king from the Carolingian dynasty. Under his rule, the Frankish kingdom experiences an extensive period of prosperity and growth, especially in intellectually related areas since Charlemagne himself is a well-known patron of the arts (#). Hence, Charlemagne is the ruler often credited for the “Roman revival” across Mediaeval Europe. In order to ensure that Charlemagne’s glorious reign will leave its mark in history, all of Charlemagne’s works and accomplishments are accounted for Einhard’s book. As expressed in the preface of the book, Einhard’s intention is to document the life of the greatest king that is often overlooked in other texts (*). Four essential facts are noted in The Life of Charlemagne: 1) The prevalence of alliances & foreign relations 2) Cultural revolution through public works & endorsement of the arts 3) Promotion of the Christian faith 4) Public reforms throughout the state. The Frankish kingdom rises as the dominant post-Roman European entity through the political and economical stabilization of the state with the use of foreign alliances. Emperor Charlemagne is said to have close relations with Kings of Persia, Scotland, and Constantinople (*). Prosperity in the Frankish kingdom is due to the frequent correspondences that exist between these European states, further promoting the flow of

     The purpose of a biography is to enhance the reader’s knowledge about a particular person’s life, in this case, Florence Beatrice Price, and offer a sort of historical background focusing on significant events, accomplishments, and personal aspects of that particular individual’s life. Ideally, the writer molds complex biographical facts—birth and death, education, ambition, conflict, milieu, work, relationship, accident—into a book [or article] that has the independent vitality of any creative work but is, at the same time, "true to life." Barbara Garvey Jackson, author of the biography on Florence Price chosen for this class, has noted that the purpose of her article is

St. Francis of Assisi was born in Umbria in the year 1182. He was a child every father hoped for, he was filled with life, a determined and courageous individual. He was gifted with rather good looks, qualities that attracted friends and a gift of leadership. His father was an extremely wealthy merchant in Assisi. But this son, his favourite, was the one who broke Peter Bernardone’s heart. The boy turned on his father, and in a vicious event that eventually resulted into a public scene. St. Francis of Assisi stepped away from his father, his business and left his father in a state of immense emotional suffering.

A biography is defined as a written account of another person 's life. The key word in the definition being another person’s life. Biographies are full of great information that can often times make history fun and exciting. Historical phenomenon is often portrayed through biographies allowing us to see how society has developed over time and how the past and present may be similar. Although biographies are full of information often times it is impossible to prove them to be true because they aren’t written by the person themselves. Linda Colley’s The ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh is a great example of an exciting biography that allows us to learn about British Imperial Rule through someone else’s eyes.

Every detail of a biography explains the life that the artist had, which includes one’s birth, achievements throughout life, and how one’s end affected the people around them. Millhauser mentioned the design of a biography and how Jeffrey explains to Edwin that his life could not be designed as a beginning, middle, and end until it has ended foreshadows the death of Edwin. If biographies are about people that had a beginning, middle, and end, then how do the readers know that everything in the biography is true and accurate? This is one of the reasons why Edwin did not like biographies. Once the artist’s life ends, the biographers can write anything they want about the artist. Edwin brought up the idea that biographies are “illusion of completeness” (101). Millhauser mentions this because he is hinting at the idea that the biographers have an option of omitting or adding details to make it seem that the artist had a completed successful life. Chapter 22 leaves the readers in a confused state where they do not know what to expect in “The Middle

The Christian religions rise to supremacy in the middle ages was the result of several factors. Christians had long been persecuted by the Roman Empire because the Romans felt that Christianity challenged and offended the Greco-Roman Gods and the Christians were prone to revolt against Roman rule. Christianity survived because it had many teachings that appealed to the downtrodden in Roman society, these teachings being that even though they were suffering they would gain equality and possibly superiority in the next life, Christianity gave them hope.

One can argue that the veracity of autobiographies, by nature, is extremely deceptive. The vast majority of the facts contained within them are colored, quite naturally, by the perceptions and interpretations of the author. The tendency to take liberty with the truth is often exacerbated when the author of such works has an affinity (or perhaps gift) for the written language, such as is the case with both Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein, who produced fairly unconventional autobiographical works entitled A Moveable Feast and The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, respectively. The proclivity to glorify one's own actions and deeds in effect to make oneself appear 'cool' is often an irresistible temptation, especially for those writing about people (including themselves) whom posterity admires, such as the 'lost generation' of expatriate American writers living in Paris in the early part of the 20th century. In light of that fact, it is interesting to note that both Hemingway and Stein create an image of their

In 312 CE, Roman Emperor Constantine achieved a victory at the Milvian Bridge. The night previous to this battle, Constantine dreamt of a cross inscribed in hoc signo vinces, in this sign you will conquer. As trivial as this dream may seem, it ultimately signified the beginning of the rise of Christianity. With his victory, Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and supported and encouraged it throughout the empire. In 313 CE, another milestone occurred as the emperors, both Constantine I of the West and Licinius of the East, signed the Edict of Milan declaring that the Diocletianic Persecution would end, and Christianity would be tolerated in the Roman Empire. This religion began to flourish as people quickly converted from pagan