In the relatively new field of autobiographical studies nothing has perplexed critics more than the problem of generic definition, this latter obviously serving as a vantage point in the selection of texts to be accepted in or excluded from the autobiographical canon. The first attempts at defining autobiography have turned out to be too prescriptive and limiting; however, currently formulated approaches seem to be more dynamic and interdisciplinary, conforming to the perpetually changing modes of autobiographical practice. (Introduction)