Post date: Apr 23, 2017 11:59:34 PM
The opening lines of Cellini's Autobiography hold such modern thoughts especially "no matter what sort he is, everyone who has to his credit what are or really seem great achievements, if he cares for truth and goodness, ought write the story of his won life in his own hand" which speaks more to today's idea of blogging one's life, or writing it out than to previous life portraits seen. The focus on the individual as a person made up of memories, ancestry, and the self is one I haven't encountered yet so far on the linear path of writing. The simple act of claiming himself, "My name is Benvenuto Cellini" shows an awareness of identity and a pride in that identity.
Despite this modern way of viewing himself, I can still see his time's influence on him (as well as past biography's), since he goes into detail of his family lineage to show where he is from and to show why he is proud of his heritage. It's rather different from, yet similar to, how we in America treat the individual. On the one hand, we don't care for lineage, most of us only take up genealogy as a curiosity project, yet we remember where we come from, where our families came from. We live in a culture where a family name isn't as influential, but can be in the right sort of aspects. Our society just refuses to recognize the importance of family name and wealth in social success. Cellini and his society are more honest with themselves in this aspect I suppose. Cellini sees his family line as important to shaping him in a way that many Americans today would not recognize as influential to themselves in turn.