
The Confessions
Saint Augustine · c. 400 CE
The first great autobiography in Western literature, and the first to use the form as an examination of consciousness rather than a record of deeds. Augustine's account of his restless seeking, his sins, his conversion, and his discovery of God contains psychological self-analysis that would not be surpassed until Freud.
Memoir · the Pro canon
The case for it, the case against, and the rest of the canon open with Pro.