ABSTRACT
A reader’s interest in autobiography usually lies in the promise of unique revelations about a particular individual. But though this may be what draws the reader to the genre, individuality is always a product of social models, and can only be understood through the social. To construct an identity, a subject takes up the models offered by society, as transmitted by culture, and shapes them into his or her own type, bringing into play a system of values. The autobiographical process uses not only facts and events, but also social representations and cultural values. A tension exists between self and society, which is resolved by the narrative presentation of a unique self which can also be recognised by society.
