Week 5: The Blurring of Fact and Fiction

The lines are blurred between who we think we are and how others see us. But the intersection of these lines is the tricky part; how much of ourselves is a fantasy of narcissism distant from reality? How well do these two people mesh? In the instance of autobiographical forms of writing, how honest are authors being of portraying an equal amount of both? I think it is hard to portray one's self badly to others in the format of a book. No one wants to see themselves in a negative light, and no matter how hard some might try to create an equal balance of their perception and the world's, there is always going to be a subconscious push towards a positive portrayal of themselves. So no, nothing in a memoir is going to be completely from the reality, 

but there is a difference between events that happened and events that absolutely didn't happen- fact or fiction. And those are lines that autobiographical writers must be certain not to cross. 

The Only Girl in the World: A Memoir by Maude Julien serves as an almost fantastical book placed in reality. Her life was so unbelievably difficult as a child that it seems like it could not possibly be real. Ever since she was born, her father told her that she was the only girl in the world; and he treated her like it. He sheltered her away from the outside world, training her to be otherworldly. Her father raised her to be superhuman, and he was disappointed when she did not live up to his standards. She was so shut off from the world that she could only find solace in her dog, her horse, and later in life, piano lessons. Here, she writes about her pet dog, saying "Luckily for me there's Linda. She came to the house at about the same time as us. We grew up together... When she wags her tail it brushes my face. It tickles. It makes me laugh" (Julien 6). Her animals were an escape from her reality, but they were punished just as Julien was- locked inside without love. She writes, "...from that day until the end of her life, Linda is locked in her kennel from eight in the morning until eight at night. She trusted me and I didn't see it coming. She is trapped because of me" (Julien 8). It's a tough book to read, but it still enters my mind 5 years after I read it, because it taught me that no matter how bad things are, there is still strength in myself to persevere. However, if the book was a mix of fact and fiction, I would feel a little betrayed. If someone stated that it was a true story and revealed later that many of the events were fictional, it would be like lying to the reader. However, the text was translated from French to English, so some meaning becomes lost, and if her portrayal overemphasized some aspects without blatantly making them up, then it would be the author right to do so. It was her life, after all. Who am I to say it wasn't?

There is a potential in her memoir to be a blog, as every chapter could serve as a new post. They all center around her life, but different events that stood out to her for each chapter. They are not lengthy and would be interesting to an audience, but I think the book would lose some meaning if it was used as a blog. There would be less seriousness about it, and it seems less believable if it was self-published on the world-wide web. I think it serves its purpose best as a book.

Julien, Maude. The Only Girl in the World: A Memoir. 2014. 

The Only Girls in the World. Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/book/show/ 

     34599653-the-only-girl-in-the-world. 

The Only Girls in the World by Maude Julien. One World Publications, 

     oneworld-publications.com/the-only-girl-in-the-world.html.