Question

Which of the following is the forerunner of the autobiography?

• A. St. Augustine's \textit{Confessions}
• B. James Joyce's \textit{Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man}
• C. William Wordsworth's \textit{The Prelude}
• D. Izaak Walton's \textit{Lives}

Hint:

The origin of autobiography in Western literature is usually traced to St. Augustine's Confessions, which blends personal narrative with spiritual self-examination.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Definition of autobiography.
An autobiography is a self-written account of one's life, combining personal experience, confession, and reflection.

Step 2: Historical development.
- St. Augustine's Confessions (4th–5th century) is regarded as the earliest major example of Western autobiography. It combines spiritual reflection with personal narrative, setting the template for later works. - Joyce's Portrait is a 20th-century modernist autobiographical novel, not a forerunner. - Wordsworth's The Prelude is a Romantic autobiographical poem, but it comes much later. - Walton's Lives are biographies of others, not an autobiography. \[ \boxed{\text{St. Augustine's Confessions (Option A)}} \]