Difference Between Memory and Autobiography
The terms memory and autobiography are often swapped as if their meanings weren’t different, yet what a lot of people ignore is that they actually have different meanings, and swapping them in certain contexts is a mistake. Difference Between Memory and Autobiography
Although both sound similar and refer to books or writings about what a certain person has experienced, there is an important detail that must be taken into consideration.
If you have doubts about the difference between autobiography and memory or are simply looking for a little more information to complement what you already know, then continue reading, because below we explain everything you need to know about to this interesting topic.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY Difference Between Memory and Autobiography
An autobiography is an account written by a person about his own life. It completely covers his journey, from his childhood to the moment he is writing.
There are no restrictions on the tone of an autobiography, some are comical in nature; in these the author tries to present the facts as if they were a collection of funny occurrences. However, others may have a more sober tone, tell everything as an anecdote and some may even be found with a depressive tone.
What all biographies have in common, regardless of tone and other details, is that they follow a chronological pattern.
MEMORY
On the other hand, a memoir is similar to an autobiography in the sense that it is a writing about the life of a person written by the person in question; but unlike autobiography, memory only talks about a particular period or moment in the author’s life.
Whoever writes a memoir decides to focus only on one or more events in his life that he considers relevant. It is a type of writing that does not necessarily follow a chronological pattern, although it is common for authors to make temporary references.
Finally, other differences that should be noted are the following: autobiographies tend to be more strict and formal than memoirs, the vast majority include forms of confirmation of facts, as well as dates and very specific information. Memories are less formal, based less on the accuracy of data and information and more on the way the story is told.
The idea of the authors when writing a memoir is to express emotions and evoke them in the reader, whereas an autobiography is more similar to a history book; only instead of being a place or a civilization, it is the story of an individual.