In this paper, I argue that the contest for authority in as-told-to life writing is experienced differently by subjects and writers. For subjects, authority is about rights over textual content. It concerns the extent to which they can... more
In this paper, I argue that the contest for authority in as-told-to life writing is experienced differently by subjects and writers. For subjects, authority is about rights over textual content. It concerns the extent to which they can influence what is written. Social status and strength of personality may both come into play.
For the writer, authority is more about responsibilities than rights, and the contest for authority is not so much about which of the two parties is the strongest, as it is about the strength of the relationship that develops between them. The deeper the level of emotional involvement, the more difficult it is for writers to balance their responsibility for the text with their responsibility for the subject. In cases where writers feel compelled to choose between the two, those who opt for the text are criticised for betrayal, while those opting for the subject are criticised for complicity or collusion.
For the subject of as-told-to life writing, the contest for authority is a struggle with the writer over the right to make decisions concerning textual content. For the writer, the contest is an internal struggle between competing responsibilities, where the best ethical outcome can only ever be one of maintaining a balance.
... Page 11. To the memory of my beloved parents, Nanette Dooley (1922-2004) and Jim Dooley (1919-2004) Page 12. ... Satendra Nandan of the University of Canberra and Kavita Nandan of Australian National Uni-versity also read and made... more
... Page 11. To the memory of my beloved parents, Nanette Dooley (1922-2004) and Jim Dooley (1919-2004) Page 12. ... Satendra Nandan of the University of Canberra and Kavita Nandan of Australian National Uni-versity also read and made useful remarks on the manuscript. ...
... Page 2. The Spare Room. Helen Garner. Text, 2008. Reviewed by Gillian Dooley for Writers' Radio, Radio Adelaide, recorded 5 April 2008. Helen Garner, that astonishing woman, has published another novel, the first since Cosmo... more
... Page 2. The Spare Room. Helen Garner. Text, 2008. Reviewed by Gillian Dooley for Writers' Radio, Radio Adelaide, recorded 5 April 2008. Helen Garner, that astonishing woman, has published another novel, the first since Cosmo Cosmolino in 1993. ...
... Page 2. Robert Gray. The Land I Came Through Last. Giramondo, 2008. Review by GillianDooley for Writers Radio, Radio Adelaide, recorded 20 September 2008. The Land I Came Through Last is a family memoir by poet Robert Gray – the title... more
... Page 2. Robert Gray. The Land I Came Through Last. Giramondo, 2008. Review by GillianDooley for Writers Radio, Radio Adelaide, recorded 20 September 2008. The Land I Came Through Last is a family memoir by poet Robert Gray – the title ...
... Title: "Swan River" by David Reynolds. [review - radio script]. Authors: Dooley, Gillian Mary. Keywords: Gillian Dooley. Issue Date: Apr-2004. Citation: Dooley, Gillian 2004. Review of "Swan River" by David... more
... Title: "Swan River" by David Reynolds. [review - radio script]. Authors: Dooley, Gillian Mary. Keywords: Gillian Dooley. Issue Date: Apr-2004. Citation: Dooley, Gillian 2004. Review of "Swan River" by David Reynolds. 'Writers' Radio, Radio Adelaide', recorded April 2004. ...
... Page 2. Clive James. The Meaning of Recognition: New Essays 2001-2005. (Picador, 2005) Review by Gillian Dooley in The Adelaide Review 16 June 2006, p. 18. Clive James' seventh book of essays covers subjects from The West Wing to... more
... Page 2. Clive James. The Meaning of Recognition: New Essays 2001-2005. (Picador, 2005) Review by Gillian Dooley in The Adelaide Review 16 June 2006, p. 18. Clive James' seventh book of essays covers subjects from The West Wing to Pushkin. ...
... Spiel. (UWAP, 2009) Reviewed by Gillian Dooley for Writers Radio, Radio Adelaide, recorded 19 September 2009. A young Australian of German descent arrives in Germany, where he encounters a blind woman on the street. She asks him if he... more
... Spiel. (UWAP, 2009) Reviewed by Gillian Dooley for Writers Radio, Radio Adelaide, recorded 19 September 2009. A young Australian of German descent arrives in Germany, where he encounters a blind woman on the street. She asks him if he wants to play a game. ...
