The Diary of Selma Lagerlöf (Masterplots II: Nonfiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Selma Lagerlöf
- First Published: 1932
- Type of Work: Autobiography
- Time of Work: January 20 to May 13, 1873
- Setting: Sweden
- Principal Characters: Selma Lagerlöf, Daniel Lagerlöf, Oriel Afzelius, Georgina Afzelius, Elin Afzelius, Allan Afzelius, Ulla Myhrman
- Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Diary
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Family or family life, Memory, Perception, Traveling or travelers, Adolescence, Love or romance, Writing, Good and evil, Disabilities or physically challenged persons
Form and Content
When Dagbok for Selma Lagerlöf was published in 1932, it was supposed by many to be a juvenile work of the famous author, composed week by week during the period from January to May of 1873, as the careful dating of the passages suggests. The naive tone, the simple diction, and the frequent use of the present tense, alternating with an immediate past, all strengthened this impression. Critics who were familiar with her novels, however, sensed that in this autobiographical work the seventy-four-year-old Selma Lagerlöf was simply adopting the persona of...
[The entire page is 3150 words long]
