Life Stories

The Creation of Coherence

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Linguistics
Cover of the book Life Stories by Charlotte Linde, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Charlotte Linde ISBN: 9780190281878
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: July 1, 1993
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Charlotte Linde
ISBN: 9780190281878
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: July 1, 1993
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

All adult speakers in Western cultures have life stories argues Charlotte Linde, and the ways in which these life stories are formed and exchanged with others have a powerful effect on all of us. Life stories express our sense of self, who we are and how we got that way. According to Linde, we also use these stories to show that our lives can be understood as coherent, and to assert or negotiate group membership. These life stories take part in the highest level of social constructions, since they are built on cultural assumptions about what is expected in a life, what the norms for a successful life are, and what common or special belief systems are necessary to establish coherence. The life story, illuminated by this engrossing study, is a form of everyday discourse which has not previously been precisely defined or studied. It is an oral, discontinuous unit, consisting of stories which are retold in a variety of forms over a long period of time, and which may be revised and changed as the speaker comes to drop old meanings and add new ones to parts of the life story. The life story is a particularly rich and important area for study, because it represents a crossroads of linguistic structure and social practice. Linde's analysis is of importance to linguistics, as well as having broader implications for anthropology, psychology, and sociology.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

All adult speakers in Western cultures have life stories argues Charlotte Linde, and the ways in which these life stories are formed and exchanged with others have a powerful effect on all of us. Life stories express our sense of self, who we are and how we got that way. According to Linde, we also use these stories to show that our lives can be understood as coherent, and to assert or negotiate group membership. These life stories take part in the highest level of social constructions, since they are built on cultural assumptions about what is expected in a life, what the norms for a successful life are, and what common or special belief systems are necessary to establish coherence. The life story, illuminated by this engrossing study, is a form of everyday discourse which has not previously been precisely defined or studied. It is an oral, discontinuous unit, consisting of stories which are retold in a variety of forms over a long period of time, and which may be revised and changed as the speaker comes to drop old meanings and add new ones to parts of the life story. The life story is a particularly rich and important area for study, because it represents a crossroads of linguistic structure and social practice. Linde's analysis is of importance to linguistics, as well as having broader implications for anthropology, psychology, and sociology.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The Making of Miracles in Indian States by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Women Who Fly by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book The Infectious Microbe by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book The Next Christendom by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Making Music in Selznick's Hollywood by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Arena Spectacles: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Risk Management in Social Work: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Handbook of Culture and Creativity by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Integrative Oncology by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Colonial Latin American Literature: A Very Short Introduction by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Renewing the Stuff of Life by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Women's Neurology by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Politics, Theory, and Film by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book The Day Wall Street Exploded : A Story Of America In Its First Age Of Terror by Charlotte Linde
Cover of the book Gaining Currency by Charlotte Linde
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy