Abstract：Autobiographies are not merely personal narratives，but also reflect the cultural and social ethos of the time in which the autobiographers lived. By analyzing autobiographies published since 1800，Diane Bjorklund illustrated how self-constructions change over time. She presents four types of the self: the self as the moral performance in early 19th century, the self as the master of fate in late 19th century and early 20th century, the uncertain self in the first half of 20th century, and the beleaguered self since late 20th century. Intrinsically，autobiographies are moral documents.

Key words: Diane Bjorklund  autobiography; self; self-narrative; moral Document

Bao Lei is an Assistant Researcher at Sociological Institute of Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Social Sciences. His recent research interests include historical sociology and biographical research.