The Logic of Business in Two Genres of Self-Writing: Memoirs and Autobiography

Abstract

This study investigates the logic of action in autobiographical narratives, viewing the self as the core of the narrative event and a fundamental component of the storytelling system that shapes the fictional world. It analyzes how narrative units—both macro and micro—are structured and distributed across segments to construct a coherent self-based character rooted in lived experiences. The study examines two contemporary Saudi autobiographical works: Standing in the Sunlight and In My Father’s and Grandfather’s Cloak, considering them as examples grounded in referential reality rather than imaginative fiction. Employing a constructive narrative approach, the study explores the internal logic of segment organization and the dynamic interplay between reason and emotion, action and reaction, within the narrator’s consciousness. It concludes that autobiographical narratives are based on an interwoven structure, rather than linear progression, reconstructing the past through the operation of memory. The study begins with a prelude introducing the concept of narrative action and providing background on the selected texts. It then unfolds in two main sections: the first discusses the logic of action, and the second examines the structure of narrative segments. The conclusion summarizes the key findings and lists the scholarly sources consulted.