The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness & EthicsUpdated second edition: "A bold and imaginative book which moves our thinking about narratives of illness in new directions." — Sociology of Heath and Illness Since it was first published in 1995, The Wounded Storyteller has occupied a unique place in the body of work on illness. A collective portrait of a so-called "remission society" of those who suffer from illness or disability, as well as a cogent analysis of their stories within a larger framework of narrative theory, Arthur W. Frank's book has reached a large and diverse readership including the ill, medical professionals, and scholars of literary theory. Drawing on the work of such authors as Oliver Sacks, Anatole Broyard, Norman Cousins, and Audre Lorde, as well as from people he met during the years he spent among different illness groups, Frank recounts a stirring collection of illness stories, ranging from the well-known—Gilda Radner's battle with ovarian cancer—to the private testimonials of people with cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, and disabilities. Their stories are more than accounts of personal suffering: They abound with moral choices and point to a social ethic. In this new edition Frank adds a preface describing the personal and cultural times when the first edition was written. His new afterword extends the book's argument significantly, discussing storytelling and experience, other modes of illness narration, and a version of hope that is both realistic and aspirational. Reflecting on his own life during the creation of the first edition and the conclusions of the book itself, he reminds us of the power of storytelling as way to understand our own suffering. "Arthur W. Frank's second edition of The Wounded Storyteller provides instructions for use of this now-classic text in the study of illness narratives." —Rita Charon, author of Narrative Medicine "Frank sees the value of illness narratives not so much in solving clinical conundrums as in addressing the question of how to live a good life." — Christianity Today |
Contents
One When Bodies Need Voices | 1 |
Two The Bodys Problem with Illness | 27 |
Three Illness as a Call for Stories | 53 |
Four The Restitution Narrative | 75 |
Five The Chaos Narrative | 97 |
Six The Quest Narrative | 115 |
Other editions - View all
The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness, and Ethics, Second Edition Arthur W. Frank No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
Alsop Anatole Broyard Arthur Kleinman Audre Lorde automythology Bauman become Bodhisattva body-self body's Broyard calls cancer chaos narrative chaos stories chap chapter Charon chemotherapy Chicago chronic clinical communicative body continue courage culture describes desire disciplined body disease dominating body dyadic dying embodied Empathy experience expresses Gilda Radner healing hear hero Hilfiker hospital ideal type ill person illness stories images interruption Kleinman Lear Levinas life-as-normal narrative lives Lorde's Mairs Mattingly memoir memory metaphor mirroring body modern modernist medicine monadic moral Nancy Nancy Mairs narration narrative ethics ness one's pain patients physician Plenty Coups postmodern practice problem professional quest narrative quest stories Radical Hope reclaiming recognize reflects remission society requires responsibility restitution narrative restitution story Reynolds Price Sacks Sacks's self-story sense sick role social speak Stewart Alsop teller testimony tion tive told Toy Story treatment truth voice witness Wounded Storyteller writes York Zussman