What does the phrase "betrayal by biography" imply?

• A. Biography often explores the writer's personal life against the writer's wishes.
• B. Biography reveals the true intentions writers had for their works.
• C. Biography offers no rewards to the interested reader.
• D. Biography is only worthwhile when it glorifies its subject.

Answer: (A)

The phrase "betrayal by biography" suggests that biography often reveals personal details or aspects of an individual's life that they may not have wanted to be shared, thus creating a sense of violation or exposure. This captures the idea that biographers might delve into intimate or controversial areas of their subjects’ lives, often presenting them in ways that might not align with the individuals' intentions or privacy. Such biographical accounts can lead to discord between how individuals wish to be perceived and how they are ultimately portrayed to the public.

This concept reflects a broader critique within literary and biographical studies regarding the ethics of exposing personal narratives without the subject's consent or desire for disclosure. The other options do not encapsulate this notion of betrayal related to personal exposure. For instance, the notion of revealing true intentions or glorifying the subject misses the core idea of privacy invasion, while asserting that biography offers no rewards to readers does not address the emotional or ethical aspect of betrayal.