When talking about life narratives, memoirs or autobiographies, the first thing that pops to mind is a hard-back book being sold for $19.99 at Costco in the book aisle. The smooth sheen of the book sleeve is plastered with a high-quality image that combines soulfulness and depth through a single shot. The subject or writer of the book will be plastered at some highly visible but not too obvious part of the book just so that the reader will know who is behind this literary masterpiece that tells you all about their life. As the reader cracks open the book and flips through, they’re met by pages and pages of detailed information about that subject either from the view of another, or the subject’s own point of view. They’re given every deep and meaningful thought that person has ever had, everything that’s led up to where they are at this very moment and interspersed with small humorous tidbits just to ensure that you keep reading. That is what an autobiographical/memoir/life narrative is.

Having chosen Allison Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half as my paper topic, it became clear that despite her book fitting all of Smith and Watson’s definitions on what a life narrative writing is, Hyperbole and a Half was not acknowledged by readers and reviewers as a life narrative writing simply because it didn’t follow a traditional form of presentation and writing. There isn’t pages and pages of nothing but text. The text are short paragraphs separated by childishly-drawn, brightly-coloured images. There is no deeper meaning that tries to connect with the reader and the humour is just Brosh telling her life as it happens. Memories, thoughts, feelings plastered onto the internet and then plastered onto some very nice paper.

Now comes the problem. Someone who might read an autobiography and be entranced by the subject’s struggles and life details might pick up Hyperbole and a Half and complain about it being too personal, boring and just not funny enough. Both cases describe a person’s life but the reception one gets is vastly different from the other. Hyperbole and a Half is found in the Comic and Humour section of a bookstore and as such is immediately categorized as a light-hearted read that should provide laughs and jokes with none of the pain. Several comments stated that the images looked like cartoons and the childish implications associated with this prevented them from reading it despite the mature themes of depression and the explicit language used.

According to Smith and Watson, a life narrative doesn’t simply focus upon the facts; it looks at memories, thoughts, emotions, the whole deal, because it evolves and changes along with the author, who is also the subject. Hyperbole and a half was first a blog and could very well be considered a piece of life writing that was done on the internet instead of on paper. The categorization of its book form being categorized as a comedy might simply be a result of society’s perception of what counts as ‘deep and mature’ and a worthwhile read versus what is simply good for a laugh.

Thoughts?