Textual features of a biography

Definition of Biography

A biography is the non-fiction, written history or account of a person’s life. Biographies are intended to give an objective portrayal of a person, written in the third person.

Biographers collect information from the subject (if he/she is available), acquaintances of the subject, or in researching other sources such as reference material, experts, records, diaries, interviews, etc. Most biographers intend to present the life story of a person and establish the context of their story for the reader, whether in terms of history and/or the present day.

Textual features of a biography examples

In turn, the reader can be reasonably assured that the information presented about the biographical subject is as true and authentic as possible.

Biographies can be written about a person at any time, no matter if they are living or dead.

However, there are limitations to biography as a literary device. Even if the subject is involved in the biographical process, the biographer is restricted in terms