The examined self Book

Robert F. Sayre's The Examined Self is a seminal work in the study of American autobiography. Its republication is a fitting initial effort in the new Wisconsin Studies in American Autobiography series, under the general editorship of William L. Andrews, Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.

Sayre's book, the first full scholarly study of American autobiography, was also the first to give full recognition to the rich potential of this American literary tradition. He studies the autobiographies of Benjamin Franklin, Henry James, and Henry Adams not only in the context of American history and culture, but also against the background of the tradition of autobiography extending back to St. Augustine.