Journal Facts

Journal
Auto/Biography
ISSN
0967-5507
Volume
14
Issue
4

Article Facts

Title
The Writing of David Hume's My Own Life: The Persona of the Philosopher and the Philosopher Manqué
DOI
10.1177/0967550706ab051oa
Author
Liz Stanley (University of Edinburgh, UK, Liz.Stanley at ed.ac.uk)
Pages
320-338

Article Links

The Writing of David Hume's My Own Life: The Persona of the Philosopher and the Philosopher Manqué

Liz Stanley (University of Edinburgh, UK, Liz.Stanley at ed.ac.uk)

DOI: 10.1177/0967550706ab051oa

Abstract

The question of what the appropriate genre terms are in which to consider the philosopher David Hume's (1711—76) My own Life (with a published version appearing in 1777 as The Life of David Hume, Esq. Written by himself ) is examined through the detailed discussion of 10 significant amendments, excisions and insertions that Hume made to the original manuscript. Ideas about self-biography, autobiography, philosophical autobiography, persona of the philosopher and philosopher manqué are discussed in relation to Hume's writing of the manuscript as indicated by these amendments; and the epigraphic nature of My own Life is considered in relation to Hume's work as a whole.

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