<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> Alice Munro has always been known for reworking personal material in her stories. On numerous occasions she openly admitted to adopting some of her real experiences into her fiction, yet at the same time she declared that her writing remains fictional, not autobiographical. However, the writer’s attitude seems to have changed with the publication of Dear Life (2012), supposedly the last book in her career. In the note preceding the last four stories in the collection, she suggests that they might constitute her autobiography. </p><p>This article discusses “The Eye,” “Night,” “Voices” and “Dear Life” in relation to Munro’s biography. It reflects on the narrative techniques the author uses to create the impression of authenticity and autobiographicality in the stories. It also aims to answer the question whether they should be indeed classified as Munro’s autobiography.</p></abstract>

Alice Munro has always been known for reworking personal material in her stories. On numerous occasions she openly admitted to adopting some of her real experiences into her fiction, yet at the same time she declared that her writing remains fictional, not autobiographical. However, the writer’s attitude seems to have changed with the publication of Dear Life (2012), supposedly the last book in her career. In the note preceding the last four stories in the collection, she suggests that they might constitute her autobiography. This article discusses “The Eye,” “Night,” “Voices” and “Dear Life” in relation to Munro’s biography. It reflects on the narrative techniques the author uses to create the impression of authenticity and autobiographicality in the stories. It also aims to answer the question whether they should be indeed classified as Munro’s autobiography.

“Autobiographical in Feeling But Not in Fact”: the Finale of Alice Munro’s Dear Life

Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin

Studia Anglica Posnaniensia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Alice Munro has always been known for reworking personal material in her stories. On numerous occasions she openly admitted to adopting some of her real...

“Autobiographical in Feeling But Not in Fact”: the Finale of Alice Munro’s Dear Life

Published Online: Jan 12, 2016

Page range: 141 - 153

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/stap-2015-0029

Keywords
Alice Munro, autobiographical pact, autobiography, Dear Life, fictional pact

© 2016

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

“Autobiographical in Feeling But Not in Fact”: the Finale of Alice Munro’s Dear Life

Published Online: Jan 12, 2016

Page range: 141 - 153

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/stap-2015-0029

KeywordsAlice Munro, autobiographical pact, autobiography, Dear Life, fictional pact

© 2016

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Alice Munro, autobiographical pact, autobiography, Dear Life, fictional pact