What is a biography? Detailed analysis

The article tells about what a biography is, for what purposes it is usually made up, what kinds of it exist.

Life on our planet has existed for almost 4 billion years, during this time, it changed a lot of biological species, ranging from the first primitive bacteria, ending with highly developed organisms. But the most tenacious and able to adapt better than the rest were people. And by the way, the number of people has always grown at different rates and unevenly, and it almost doubled in just the last 60 years.

All people are different, they have unique personality traits, life experiences and achievements. And only a few are honored to be inscribed in history or other sources, thanks to which they will be remembered after centuries.

With the development of writing and printing, such a thing as a biography became popular. At the very beginning, these texts were mostly of a religious nature, they described the life of the saints, they did not differ in accuracy, but gradually everything changed. So what is a biography, why is it needed, what are its varieties? In this we will understand.

Definition

If you look at the encyclopedia, then by definition, the biography is a description of the person's life path, which was made up of other people. If he composed it himself, then this is called an autobiography.

Biography is the source of important sociological information, on the basis of which it is possible to determine the role of a single individual in a national, historical or some other conditionality.

In simpler terms, a biography is a detailed or not very detailed description of a person's life, where his achievements, merits and other social and social manifestations are shown. And usually not everyone is rewarded with this. So now we know what a biography is. But what it is and why it is needed?

Kinds

Biographies can be divided into several types.

Scientific is one where in the work of one or another kind all events are documented in detail, sources, proofs, etc. are given. True, this can not always be done, especially when it comes to some historical personality that existed several thousand years ago.

Autobiography is composed by the person himself. This can be as voluminous literary work, where he wished to tell about his life and merits, and a brief retelling of it when hiring or in another situation.

The artistic biography of life differs primarily in the way the material is presented. He is less official, but the life of the hero or heroes of the work is still described in the most detailed and in accordance with how everything was in fact. This type of biography can be attributed to the popular, this technique is often used to increase people's interest in some historical events or other processes.

Meaning

In fact, the compilers of biographies pursue several goals. In addition to the tribute to memory, the biography, in which the life history of a historical personality is described in detail, allows one to analyze events of distant or not so many years, to understand why everything happened in this way, whether it could be otherwise, or the like. This is especially valuable from a cultural point of view. Needless to say, such literary or film productions are not compiled of all people.

This honor is awarded to ancient rulers, politicians, scientists, naturalists and contemporary figures who also contribute to the development of a particular sphere of science, culture or public life. For example, filmmakers, actors, famous athletes and others. So now we know what a biography is.

Biography of a kind

True, there are situations when the biography is not compiled as a tribute of respect or for historical or cultural analysis, but as an ordinary document reflecting the person's life history, professional skills and so on.

A personal biography is needed first of all, where people are controlled and strict selection based on professional or personal qualities. These are law enforcement agencies, armed forces, various closed scientific institutions or other institutions where it is necessary to assess a person in terms of describing his life, actions and qualities. Now we understand what a biography is.