What Is Autotheory?
Autotheory is a genre that breaks down the barriers between memoir and critical theory. It fuses the deeply personal with the rigorously intellectual — the self becomes the site of philosophical inquiry. Instead of citing theory to support an argument from a distance, autotheory weaves it directly into lived experience. The writer’s life is not separate from the ideas; it becomes the proving ground for them.
In practice, autotheory is what happens when writers narrate their own lives while simultaneously thinking about gender, sexuality, language, politics, embodiment, or history — sometimes all at once. It’s part memoir, part theory, part experiment. It often resists the tidy arc of personal growth in favor of revealing how entangled we are in the world’s systems and ideas.
A Short History of the Term
Though forms of autotheory have existed for centuries, the term gained wide attention with Maggie Nelson’s 2015 book The Argonauts. In it, Nelson quotes theorists like Judith Butler and Roland Barthes while narrating her queer family life, pregnancy, and marriage to artist Harry Dodge. The book is a landmark in contemporary literature for how fluently it moves between the emotional and the philosophical.
Nelson herself reflects on the hybrid nature of her work, writing: “I had never read a book that mixed theory with the lived experience of trying to be a person in the world — and then I realized I would have to write it.”
Why Autotheory Now?
The rise of autotheory coincides with cultural shifts toward greater inclusivity, intersectionality, and resistance to rigid academic boundaries. As universities become both gatekeepers and battlegrounds for theory, many writers — particularly queer, feminist, and BIPOC authors — are choosing to write outside of traditional scholarship. Autotheory gives them a space to tell their stories while also interrogating the structures that shape those stories.
It also reflects a broader shift toward hybrid genres in literature. Readers are hungry for work that feels both urgent and intelligent — that asks questions without always needing to resolve them. In this way, autotheory mirrors our messy realities more than polished memoirs or abstract philosophy ever could.
Key Authors and Works in Autotheory
Maggie Nelson – The Argonauts (2015)
Nelson’s genre-defying work blends personal narrative with queer theory, exploring pregnancy, family, and fluid identity. A signature passage reads:
“You’re the most profound person I’ve ever met, and I’m just a junkie whore. But you love me.”
This simple line, offered within a theoretical framework, evokes both vulnerability and power.
Paul B. Preciado – Testo Junkie (2008)
Preciado writes about self-administering testosterone while reflecting on Foucault, pharmacopornography, and the politics of gender. A standout sentence reads:
“I am a somathèque, a living archive of pharmacopornographic technologies.”
His body becomes both the text and the lab.
Lauren Fournier – Autotheory as Feminist Practice (2021)
Fournier’s book offers the first critical study of autotheory as a genre, tracing its lineage through feminist art and writing. It’s essential reading for anyone looking to understand how autotheory functions both artistically and politically.
Audre Lorde – The Cancer Journals (1980)
Before the term "autotheory" was popular, Lorde’s work embodied its ethos. Writing about her mastectomy and Black feminist identity, she insisted:
“Your silence will not protect you.”
Her experience became both a critique of the medical system and a call to speak out.
bell hooks – Teaching to Transgress (1994)
hooks blends classroom stories with radical pedagogy, constantly connecting personal experience to systemic analysis. She makes theory accessible through lived example.
Stylistic Features of Autotheory
Autotheory often rejects linear storytelling. Instead, it may move in fragments, juxtapose ideas and experiences, or shift abruptly between registers of language. Footnotes, citations, and critical references are integrated into personal reflection rather than sectioned off.
Tone can vary widely — from the academic to the poetic, from wry humor to profound grief. It is a style that mirrors thought itself: nonlinear, associative, recursive.
Westbrae Literary Group and Contemporary Autotheory
At Westbrae Literary Group, we’re proud to publish writers who challenge literary norms — and Liliana Hazel Navelgas is doing just that in her forthcoming novella Aegis. With references to ancient mythology, philosophy, literary theory, and power dynamics, Navelgas writes a voice that is both highly personal and culturally incisive. She channels the spirit of autotheory as well as other voices, writing from a body and mind that refuses simplification.
Here’s a short quote from Aegis:
“My mother, Metis. In French, the word means 'mixed' — so was she, a mixture of Titan and lesser god... Zeus had met his match, and nothing terrified him further.”
This passage not only retells a myth — it theorizes lineage, gender, and resistance through intimate storytelling.
How to Read Autotheory
If you’re new to the genre, don’t worry if it feels slippery. That’s part of the point. Autotheory is meant to push against expectations — both literary and intellectual. Here are a few tips:
- Read slowly and let the shifts in tone wash over you.
- Follow up on references — learning what a theorist said can deepen your understanding of the writer’s experience.
- Accept ambiguity. Autotheory often asks questions rather than offering answers.
Why It Matters
Autotheory opens space for writers to think and feel at the same time. It refuses the binary of intellect vs. emotion. It challenges who gets to write theory and what counts as knowledge. In a world obsessed with hot takes and social media performances of opinion, autotheory demands a deeper, messier engagement with truth.
It also speaks to the political potential of the literary arts. In telling one’s story while thinking critically about that story’s context, autotheory becomes a powerful tool for reimagining identity, power, and even literature itself.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a reader looking for fresh voices, a writer seeking form-breaking inspiration, or just someone curious about how life and ideas intertwine — autotheory offers a provocative space to explore. And at Westbrae Literary Group, we’re committed to supporting those voices who dare to live and write in that space.
We encourage you to pick up books like The Argonauts, Testo Junkie, and The Cancer Journals — and of course, keep an eye out for Liliana Hazel Navelgas’s stunning, genre-defying work, Aegis.
