ABSTRACT
The author of a historical novel invents a mediocre protagonist that symbolizes the objective social-historical reality of the time. When an author bases the novel on an actual historical figure, especially an extraordinary or unique life, much in the protagonist will fail to symbolize or represent the social-historical reality of the distinctive place and age. In 1955 the American and cultural critic Carl Bode published “Buxom Biographies,” a title that discloses his condescending view of the biographical novel. Since Bode claims that “the biographical novel as a literary type has kept its vigor” and that “it deserves much more attention than it has received from most critics,” it might seem that the American scholar has a positive view of the genre. What specifically dooms the aesthetic form to failure is its lack of accuracy. Bode has an imprecise definition of biofiction, alternately referring to sloppy biographies and historical fictions as de facto biographical novels.
