Auto-narrative

An auto-narrative is a form of autobiographical storytelling, where an individual recounts their personal experiences, memories, and perspectives through narrative structures. It often focuses on significant life events, relationships, and identity formation, allowing for subjective interpretation and emotional expression. Auto-narratives can be found in various mediums, including memoirs, personal essays, blogs, video logs (vlogs), and even artwork and performance art. They emphasize the individual's unique voice and lived reality, shaping how they understand themselves and present their stories to others. The narrative construction allows for reflection, meaning-making, and the articulation of a personal worldview, but may not always be fully factual.

Auto-narrative meaning with examples

• In her memoir, the author crafted an auto-narrative, exploring her childhood experiences and their impact on her adult life. She reflected on her relationships, challenges, and triumphs, using a rich literary style to bring these experiences alive. The focus was on the impact on her identity
• The blogger's online journal served as an auto-narrative, documenting her daily life, thoughts, and feelings about societal issues. She openly shared personal struggles, forming a connection with her readership by presenting her perspective on various current events and experiences. She aimed to build an online community.
• The performance artist's stage show constituted an auto-narrative, using movement, sound, and visuals to express her history of dealing with mental health. The audience experienced her feelings, the challenges of living and interacting with her environment. It was a non-verbal interpretation of the events in her life.
• The video log creator used the format to build an auto-narrative of his travels, including his interactions and observations. Each vlog served as a chapter in his life, showing locations with personal commentary on the culture and his own thoughts, building his own persona, as he shared his day to day life.
• The artist constructed her paintings to form an auto-narrative about her recovery from illness. Each canvas represented a phase in her struggle and her journey toward healing, employing symbolism and color to capture her feelings, helping her share her experiences.