We approach nonfiction at a much different level than we approach fiction or poetry or drama: that there's almost no room for metaphor. We expect the "I" in any nonfiction text to be an autobiographical "I" when there is a history in the essay of the "I" being a persona.
John D'AgataI felt a little lost as a student. At Iowa, I felt as if I had gotten into this program that was going to save me, and so I moved myself across the country for grad school and yet still didn't have a home. It was upsetting. And I know that's a common feeling.
John D'AgataIn some ways we want definitions that can help protect our own interpretations of the genre.
John D'AgataI look for the kind of text that doesn't look like the writer I'm considering. Plutarch is a great example.
John D'Agata