An American Childhood (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Annie Dillard
- First Published: 1987
- Type of Work: Autobiography
- Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Memoir
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Children, Family or family life, Self-discovery, Memory, Adolescence, Nature, Self, Authors or writers, Books, Upper classes, Youth, Reading, Intellect, Ponds
- Locales: Pittsburgh, PA
In An American Childhood Dillard uses herself and her experiences growing up in Pittsburgh to examine the nature of American life. She claims that the book is not an autobiography but is rather a capturing of what it means for a child to come of age in the United States. Dillard seems to be uncomfortable with revealing information about herself; despite the fact that An American Childhood is intensely autobiographical, she denies that her purpose was to compose a memoir. Nevertheless, it is her account of her inward intellectual journey, offering incidents in her life...
[The entire page is 997 words long]
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