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Narratives in Contest; or, Another Twist in the Narrative Turn

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 October 2020

James Phelan
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Extract

The narrative turn, the study of the nature and power of story and storytelling, continues to be one of the most significant movements in contemporary thought, influencing work in an ever-growing number of disciplines. Psychologists such as Jerome Bruner explore the “narrative identity thesis,” the idea that the very conception of selfhood depends on having a narrative of one's life. Scholars of the law such as Peter Brooks advance our understanding of the legal system by analyzing the myriad kinds of narrative—from confessions to closings—integral to it. Medical researchers such as Rita Charon find that treatment improves when doctors listen to patients' illness narratives rather than simply seek to identify patients' symptoms.

Information

Type
The Changing Profession
Information
PMLA , Volume 123 , Issue 1 , January 2008 , pp. 166 - 175
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 by The Modern Language Association of America

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References

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