What are your thoughts on reading a novel written in the style of a memoir, (Dickens David Copperfield comes to mind) yet it is in part or wholly fictional?
I have no problem with that. What matters is whether it's interesting. If it's interesting, great. If it's boring, not great. The memoir form doesn't enter into it.
I suppose any novel written in first person will come into that category? It's a very popular category. I don't think I could write one of these myself, but I do like to read them. And David Copperfield is my favourite of Dickens' novels.
I think a lot of novels are written this way. There's a saying that "All fiction is autobiography," and I think it is true to an extent. Obviously, some novels are more autobiographical than others, but there are a few that are very, very close to what an author has experienced himself. I think they often make very compelling stories.
i don't actually have 'thoughts on' such works... i read fiction constantly... i either like what i read, or i don't... the reasons for either will vary...
I just had to pop in and say David Copperfield is my favorite novel of all time. I have nothing useful to add to the discussion, but I love Dickens.
I have no problem with the memoir form. Even if I did, I agree with Minstrel. As long as it is interesting, I can overlook the style.
One of my favorite series of novels is autobiographical - C.P. Snow's Strangers and Brothers series. The key is that he is not always the main character, but he is engaged in what is happening. My favorite of the series, for a variety of reasons, is the fourth in the series, The Masters. One does not have to have read the preceding three works in the series to enjoy it, but it adds a little to the depth of the character of Lewis Elliot. Like most of those who have already posted, the fact that a novel is autobiographical in nature is not a determining factor in whether I will enjoy it or not.
