Quoted from the essayist Meghan Daum in a book review in the April edition of The Atlantic:
“I don’t confess in my work,” she says, “because to me that implies that you’re dumping all your guilt and sins on the page and asking the reader to forgive you.” The label [confessional] can also imply a failure of craft. “Confessions are not processed or analized,” she continues, “they’re told in a moment of desperation.” Instead, Daum calls her personal revelations “events recounted in the service of ideas.”
Photo by Derk Jager
Keep on writing, great job!
Meghan Daum is way too harsh. Authors confess because they need catharsis, and catharsis works because it resonates with people. If it didn’t, would we have all these “tell-all” talk shows?
I think Daum’s real point is that good memoir must go beyond the mere confessional and touch some universal truths for it to be real literature. “Tell-all” talk shows may provide catharsis and get half the audience weeping, but good literature — fiction or memoir — seeks to explore the human condition in a more profound and thought-provoking way.
I really like the phrase ‘events recounted’
Soon I will have time to read your fascinating blog.
And will comment on your story Bedroom..Sadness.