Telling about life in the 20th Century

Biographic narratives are shaped by many factors. The shape, old people finally select for the retrospective view of their lives, is for example influenced by the current narrative situation, by the individual`s perception of the past, or by the patterns of reconstruction. Using the example of 67 biographical narratives, the graduate thesis "Telling about life in the 20th Century" demonstrates, how cultural influences shape the practice of memory, and how narrative traditions ultimately decide on the form of autobiographical representation. The 1910-1930 born narrators spent most of their life in the Montafon valley/Vorarlberg and formed over the decades until today a storytelling community. Within this community the individual biographical accounts so-called "pattern stories" are formed. In the course of an analysis of 50 selected narrative matters can be demonstrated, how personal life stories amalgamate with the story of a rural mountain valley, and on what cultural templates the biographic narratives are based on. A thorough examination of the autobiographical representations of the 67 narrators reveals how the studied generations reflect and evaluate the 20th Century, which was affected not only by a stunning change in social, economic and everyday point of view - but also by two world wars, several economic crises and different political systems. Based on the life histories of very different biographies can clearly be seen that there still are many parallels. On one hand these parallels concern the selection of stories that constitute and represent the life story, on the other hand they concern the forms of representation and the statements that are made about their lives. Biographic narratives are an example to the tireless work of making sense. The analysis of biographical narratives can thus demonstrate clearly how cultural patterns shape remembering and telling stories of individuals and therefore granted an insight into the values and norms, which ultimately laid the foundation for our society today.