Autobiographical Reflections in Novels

The Author's Shadow in Characters and Events

Whether we are aware of it or not, all of us who write stories project aspects of ourselves onto our characters. Sometimes it takes time to realise this, and sometimes it becomes apparent through readers' comments. This is also true of accomplished writers. This is why, when reading a novel, it is important to consider the author's perspective. So, which well-known works bear autobiographical traces?

When creating a character or event, we may initially feel lost. Without preconceived ideas about the character's personality, we resort to comparisons. The people around us provide the closest material for comparison. Even if we prioritise others because we 'know' ourselves, our most striking traits still shine through. Sometimes, a sentence is exactly the kind of thing we would say. Even when we try to incorporate elements unrelated to our personalities, we catch glimpses of ourselves. If not in the character, then we at least weave pieces of our lives into the story as a whole.

On the other hand, we do this deliberately. Depending on the course of the story, we either convey our identity and experiences directly, or weave them in more subtly. One female writer conceals her identity by creating a male protagonist, while another writer — an important historical figure — puts himself in a supporting role at the edge of the narrative. Even if they do not appear directly or convey their personalities in their entirety, they are still present. Ultimately, they choose to convey fragments of their lives.

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Since our book club began in April 2024, I have taken notes on our readings and conducted preliminary research. In doing so, I have become interested in the content of the books we read and in information about the authors' lives. I soon realised that, in order to fully understand a book, it is essential to research the life of its author. It was important to understand the relationship between the book and the author. This has led to many minor moments of enlightenment.

The reason I'm addressing this topic is an example from our recent book club discussion. When I explained to a friend how the author's life could influence the topic under discussion, her perspective on the book changed instantly. As they say, the pieces fell into place. I loved that moment. The small amount of information I provided during our two-hour conversation altered her perception of the book significantly, if not entirely.

This moment gave me an idea. When I started researching, I came across classic works in which authors often include themselves – works that most of us have probably read. I will now mention some of these. If you have read any of them, consider whether you viewed them from this perspective before. You can also add to or enrich what I have included with your own comments.

Photo by Peter Conlan on Unsplash

From the pen of Dostoevsky comes Raskolnikov, a man so complex that he pushes moral boundaries as a poor student. After committing murder, he wrestles with his conscience and his soul is torn in two. This indecisive, guilt-ridden state reflects Dostoevsky's own experiences in a Siberian prison and his battle with a gambling addiction. He also explores the dreadfulness of this affliction in his work “The Gambler” – yet he cannot escape it. It is a state of being trapped in moral dilemmas.

But what about Kafka and his novel “The Trial”? The protagonist, Josef K, is an ordinary man caught up in a bureaucratic nightmare. He is accused and judged, yet his life slips away without him ever understanding the nature of the charges against him. This mirrors Kafka's own alienated days, suffocated by his job as an insurance clerk and crushed by authority. Didn't he already explore this theme in “The Metamorphosis”? In my opinion, Kafka chose to scream silently through his writing.

Now, let's go back in time and consider a different example. In “Hamlet”, Shakespeare portrays the eponymous character as a thoughtful individual, burdened by the responsibilities of being the Prince of Denmark. Haunted by his father's ghost and consumed by a thirst for vengeance, Hamlet becomes paralysed by indecision. This mournful narrative actually reflects Shakespeare's own sadness. In 1596, he lost his 11-year-old son, Hamnet. He transformed his grief into a lament through Hamlet, honouring his sorrow in the way he knew best — by bringing it to the theatre stage. Clearly, this was his coping mechanism. Of course, some have speculated about the similarity of the name.

In Woolf's “Mrs Dalloway”, an elegant woman rushes through the streets of London to attend a party, grappling internally with past loves, questions of sexuality and moments of fragility. She is confronted with shadows such as Septimus' suicide. Conversely, Woolf's non-fiction piece “On Being Ill” explores these themes. She wrote it in 1925, aged 42, while bedridden after a nervous breakdown. In this work, she does not shy away from portraying her inner struggles, painful periods, and turmoil as though they were a self-portrait. This actually demonstrates her strength.

Next up is Jane Austen. The heroine of “Pride and Prejudice”, Elizabeth Bennet, is an independent spirit who defies societal pressure to marry, challenges Darcy's pride and mocks the absurdities of social class. Austen's unfinished novel “The Watsons” (started in 1803 and published a year after her death) focuses on a sick and impoverished clergyman and his four unmarried daughters. The work is described as follows: "Probably abandoned after their father's death, The Watsons is a charming and thoroughly enjoyable story, full of vitality and optimism. It revolves around the marriage prospects of the Watson sisters in a small country town.” The obvious question comes to mind: ‘So, did Austen marry?’ No, she never did. I believe she chose to express her criticism of the happy marriage and life she never had through her novels. Years later, she may have tried to write about marriage again, but perhaps she abandoned the idea because she found the prospect unrealistic — who knows?

Finally, let me mention Poe and Lovecraft. Like Austen, Poe had a very short life. His writing evoked melancholy and gloom, which was almost his signature — his life was much like his stories. His struggle with alcoholism is reflected in the story we read in our book club, “The Black Cat”. Despite realising it was wrong, he couldn't escape the quagmire (see Dostoyevsky's gambling addiction). His poem “The Raven”, addressed to his beloved Lenore, must also reflect the dark years when he lost his wife, Virginia, to tuberculosis.

Lovecraft, on the other hand, was extremely introverted. His social anxiety and chronic illnesses meant that he led a lonely life. While this took a mental toll on him, it also enabled him to draw conclusions. The murky, suffocating environment in which he found himself seemed to inspire the monsters he created in his stories. His troubled state of mind shaped his worldview, and his stories reflected the fragility of humanity. The negative aspects of his life, and perhaps traces of his traumas, awakened in him a desire to create malignant, demonic, and terrifying elements. This dark reflection is clearly evident in his creation of the “Cthulhu” mythos — perhaps he was coping by writing his own 'monster'.

This is similar to how Mary Shelley channelled her emotions through the characters of Victor Frankenstein and his monster.

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As we said, traces of our lives can seep into our writing. We can see concrete examples of this in writers' works, where elements are taken over by the subconscious and created unintentionally. When we examine the lives of these writers, it is the negative events that stand out. It is important to recognise how human this tendency is; memories lurking in the depths of our psyche or events right under our nose can influence our fiction more than we realise. Have you been able to capture this in your own writing?