Point of View

“The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas” is related through Alice’s perspective as narrator. Unlike a traditional autobiography, the book was not written by Alice B. Toklas, but was wittily crafted by Gertrude Stein. As such, the book essentially serves as an autobiography of Gertrude Stein, but related from the perspective of her lover and life companion.

This technique allowed Stein to describe herself and her work from a more objective perspective, but also gave her more freedom for personal praise. One example of this can be seen in the conclusion of the first chapter as Alice describes her first meeting with Gertrude: “I was impressed by the coral brooch she wore and by her voice. I may say that only three times in my life have I met a genius and each time a bell within me rang and I was not mistaken, and...