Explorations in Sights and Sounds
Orginal Publication Date
1993
Journal Title
Explorations in Sights and Sounds
Volume
13
Issue
ess/vol13/iss1
First Page
39
Last Page
40
Abstract
In the introduction to this excellent collection of critical essays on multicultural autobiography Payne states that what sets this work apart from most other works on autobiography, is "the attempt in this volume to bring together different critical voices, each speaking from an area of expertise on a particular American cultural tradition." Drawing on concepts developed at the 1982 Reconstructing American Literature Institute at Yale, Payne did not impose any theoretical orientation on the eleven contributors. Consequently, while the contributors have relied upon the current criticism and commentary on the blossoming field of autobiography, each is a recognized scholar in the cultural traditions about which they write. In his introduction, Payne gives an overview of earlier notable contributions to autobiographical writings and views Multicultural Autobiography as furthering the understanding of the recent, most productive trend in this field: the employment of pluralist approaches to redefine the American experience.
Rights
Copyright, ©EES, The National Association for Ethnic Studies, 1993