Description

Book Synopsis

This volume contains two important works by Roger North (1651?—1734): his General Preface and Life of Dr John North. The General Preface is a remarkable discussion of the theory of life writing, in which North works towards a revolutionary new kind of biography that combines practical, ethical, and scientific uses. It is a plea for a personal biography that will entertain its readers, teach them valuable moral and practical lessons, and at the same time add to the store of data available on human nature. North is led to consider such matters as the use of subject’s own works, the separation of the private life from the public, the unreliability of memory, and the unlikely combination of qualities needed in a biographer; he goes on to discuss the ethical responsibilities of the ‘historiographer’ and meditates on the folly of devoting oneself to public service. The General Preface is a landmark in the history of biographical theor

General Preface and Life of Dr John North

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    A Paperback by Peter Millard

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      Publisher: University of Toronto Press
      Publication Date: 12/15/1984 12:00:00 AM
      ISBN13: 9781487579210, 978-1487579210
      ISBN10: 1487579217
      Also in:
      Literary studies: general Historiography

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      This volume contains two important works by Roger North (1651?—1734): his General Preface and Life of Dr John North. The General Preface is a remarkable discussion of the theory of life writing, in which North works towards a revolutionary new kind of biography that combines practical, ethical, and scientific uses. It is a plea for a personal biography that will entertain its readers, teach them valuable moral and practical lessons, and at the same time add to the store of data available on human nature. North is led to consider such matters as the use of subject’s own works, the separation of the private life from the public, the unreliability of memory, and the unlikely combination of qualities needed in a biographer; he goes on to discuss the ethical responsibilities of the ‘historiographer’ and meditates on the folly of devoting oneself to public service. The General Preface is a landmark in the history of biographical theor

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