This paper explains that, in Edmund Morris' "Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan", Morris introduces himself into the narrative
both as a true eyewitness and as a fictional one, who is both older and more American than the authentic Morris and lives a life oddly paralleled to Reagan's life. The
author points out that, while "Dutch" clearly is not a traditional
biography, it adheres to the most important aspects of the fundamental biographical style in that it provides the reader with ample information about Reagan through the most significant moments of his life. The paper relates that Morris developed this style because, despite having been paid more than $2.9 million to write an official biography, Morris found himself deterred by a calculated silence on Reagan's part, which left the author grappling to find who Reagan really was as a man.