ABSTRACT
A fascination with the past and our recollection of it is nothing new. Remembering is an intricate network of processes, with biological, emotional and philosophical implications. The nascent field of memory studies explores these, drawing insights from literature, philosophy, psychology, history, and more to examine the ways in which relationships between the past and present are articulated in the present. A complex cognitive activity, remembering is a synthesis of several processes which occur across numerous regions of the brain, synapses, cells and circuits in constant flux. This sense of fragmentation and distance is amplified through Nelson's use of observer memories, those in which people remember from a perspective outside ourselves, a third-person point of view. Current research proves remembering is an unpredictable activity, an inherently creative process of selection, omission, and recreation. Imperfect as it is, however, memory remains central to people's sense of self and identity and, therefore, central to the literature of remembering, memoir.
