Peter Nagourney Essay | Essay

This student essay consists of approximately 6 pages of analysis of The Hazards Associated with Reading a Biography.

Peter Nagourney Essay | Essay

This student essay consists of approximately 6 pages of analysis of The Hazards Associated with Reading a Biography.
This section contains 1,523 words
(approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Student Essay on The Hazards Associated with Reading a Biography

The Hazards Associated with Reading a Biography

Summary: Peter Nagourney, in his "The Basic Assumptions of Literary Biography," argues that readers of biographies are led to destruction and ruin because biographies contain no absolute truth about the subject, hold a bias, misuse anecdotal evidence, and rely on doubtful assumptions. A Steve Waugh biography, "The Cricketer Who Defined His Era," while it is interesting reading, falls victim to a number of the problems identified by Nagourney.
STEVE WAUGH REVIEW

The main purpose of biography is to provide readers with insights into the subject's life. However, according to Peter Nagourney, author of "The Basic Assumptions of Literary Biography", readers are led to destruction and ruin. Nagourney states that biographies contain no absolute truth about the subject, only relative and partial truths. They are biased and misuse anecdotal evidence. Finally they rely on doubtful assumptions, that of a unified life and that of growth and development. The Steve Waugh biography, `The Cricketer Who Defined His Era', makes interesting reading despite falling victim to a number of the problems identified by Nagourney.

The reader of biography should be able to rely on the author to convey the full truth of the subject's life. But according to Nagourney, even the subject cannot claim to know himself completely, as self perceptions change and one can become selective. As well...

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This section contains 1,523 words
(approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page)
Buy the Student Essay on The Hazards Associated with Reading a Biography
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