A devoted reader of autobiographies and memoirs, Roger J. Porter has observed in recent years a surprising number of memoirs by adult children whose fathers have led secret lives. Some of the fathers had second families; some had secret religious lives; others have been criminals, liars, or con men....

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Bibliographische Detailangaben

1. Verfasser:	Porter, Roger J., 1936-
Format:	Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	Ithaca [N.Y.] : Cornell University Press, 2011.
Schlagworte:	Autobiography > Authorship. Fathers in literature. Secrecy in literature. Deception in literature. Pères dans la littérature. Secret dans la littérature. Tromperie dans la littérature. BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY > Personal Memoirs. LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES > Composition & Creative Writing. LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES > Rhetoric. REFERENCE > Writing Skills. Autobiography > Authorship Deception in literature Fathers in literature Secrecy in literature Electronic book.
Online-Zugang:	Volltext
Zusammenfassung:	A devoted reader of autobiographies and memoirs, Roger J. Porter has observed in recent years a surprising number of memoirs by adult children whose fathers have led secret lives. Some of the fathers had second families; some had secret religious lives; others have been criminals, liars, or con men. Struck by the intensely human drama of secrecy and deception played out for all to see, Porter explores the phenomenon in great depth. In Bureau of Missing Persons he examines a large number of these works-eighteen in all-placing them in a wide literary and cultural context and considering the ethical quandaries writers face when they reveal secrets so long and closely held. Among the books Porter treats are Paul Auster's The Invention of Solitude, Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir Fun Home, Essie Mae Washington-Williams's Dear Senator (on her father, Strom Thurmond), Bliss Broyard's One Drop, Mary Gordon's The Shadow Man, and Geoffrey Wolff's The Duke of Deception. He also discusses Nathaniel Kahn's documentary film, My Architect. These narratives inevitably look inward to the writer as well as outward to the parent. The autobiographical children are compelled, if not consumed, by a desire to know. They become detectives, piecing together clues to fill memory voids, assembling material and archival evidence, public and private documents, letters, photographs, and iconic physical objects to track down the parent.
Beschreibung:	1 online resource (x, 202 pages) : illustrations
Bibliographie:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:	0801460964 9780801460968