Charlotte Linde
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195140286
- eISBN:
- 9780199871247
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195140286.003.0010
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
This chapter summarizes the book's aim: to tell a story about stories. The book has presented an ethnography of the structure and the use of stories within an institution, taking both the story and ...
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This chapter summarizes the book's aim: to tell a story about stories. The book has presented an ethnography of the structure and the use of stories within an institution, taking both the story and the institution as the primary units of analysis. The chapter finishes by concluding what the book has achieved: this has been a story about the adventures of stories in groups of people and the adventures of people in groups of stories. The work of this book has been to demonstrate the existence and the nature of this work—mundane, daily, and utterly essential to any group that considers that it has an identity. This is the work that keeps us Us, whoever We may be.Less
This chapter summarizes the book's aim: to tell a story about stories. The book has presented an ethnography of the structure and the use of stories within an institution, taking both the story and the institution as the primary units of analysis. The chapter finishes by concluding what the book has achieved: this has been a story about the adventures of stories in groups of people and the adventures of people in groups of stories. The work of this book has been to demonstrate the existence and the nature of this work—mundane, daily, and utterly essential to any group that considers that it has an identity. This is the work that keeps us Us, whoever We may be.
Gregory Currie
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199282609
- eISBN:
- 9780191712432
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199282609.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics, Philosophy of Mind
Narratives are artefacts of a special kind: they are devices which function to tell stories, and do so by conveying the storytelling intentions of their makers. But, narrative itself is too inclusive ...
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Narratives are artefacts of a special kind: they are devices which function to tell stories, and do so by conveying the storytelling intentions of their makers. But, narrative itself is too inclusive a category for much more to be said about it than this; we should focus attention instead on the vaguely defined but interesting category of things rich in narrative structure. Such devices offer significant possibilities, not merely for the representation of stories, but for the expression of point of view; they have also played an important role in the evolution of reliable channels of information, an issue pursued in three chapter appendices. This book argues that much of the pleasure of narrative depends on early developing tendencies in human beings to imitation and to joint attention, and imitation turns out to be the key to understanding such important literary techniques as free indirect discourse and character‐focused narration. The book also examines irony in narrative, with an emphasis on the idea of the expression of ironic points of view; a case study of this phenomenon is offered. Finally, the book examines the idea of Character, as evidenced in robust, situation‐independent ways of acting and thinking, and its important role in many narratives. It is asked whether scepticism about the notion of Character should have us reassess the dramatic and literary tradition which places such emphasis on Character.Less
Narratives are artefacts of a special kind: they are devices which function to tell stories, and do so by conveying the storytelling intentions of their makers. But, narrative itself is too inclusive a category for much more to be said about it than this; we should focus attention instead on the vaguely defined but interesting category of things rich in narrative structure. Such devices offer significant possibilities, not merely for the representation of stories, but for the expression of point of view; they have also played an important role in the evolution of reliable channels of information, an issue pursued in three chapter appendices. This book argues that much of the pleasure of narrative depends on early developing tendencies in human beings to imitation and to joint attention, and imitation turns out to be the key to understanding such important literary techniques as free indirect discourse and character‐focused narration. The book also examines irony in narrative, with an emphasis on the idea of the expression of ironic points of view; a case study of this phenomenon is offered. Finally, the book examines the idea of Character, as evidenced in robust, situation‐independent ways of acting and thinking, and its important role in many narratives. It is asked whether scepticism about the notion of Character should have us reassess the dramatic and literary tradition which places such emphasis on Character.
E. W. Heaton
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198263623
- eISBN:
- 9780191601156
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198263627.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The books of the Old Testament are often thought of as being remote and ‘primitive’. In fact, they were written by thoroughly learned men, educated in the traditional schools of ancient Israel. This ...
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The books of the Old Testament are often thought of as being remote and ‘primitive’. In fact, they were written by thoroughly learned men, educated in the traditional schools of ancient Israel. This book presents a fresh and enlivening case for the strong influence that this schooling must have had on the writers of the stories, poetry and proverbs of the Bible. The eight Bampton Lectures that form the first eight chapters of this book were delivered in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford, UK. The topics covered are: the evidence for schools in ancient Israel; comparisons between Egyptian and Israeli school-books and literature; ‘wisdom’ and school traditions in the Old Testament books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; the school tradition in the literary style of the teachings of the prophets and teachers; the narrative skills of the Jerusalem school tradition in the stories of the Old Testament; doubt and pessimism as expressed in Job and Ecclesiastes; and various aspects of belief and behaviour in the Old Testament, as reflected in the school tradition. The last chapter is a summing-up. The book is of interest to students and scholars of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) or religious studies, both in Judaism and Christianity.Less
The books of the Old Testament are often thought of as being remote and ‘primitive’. In fact, they were written by thoroughly learned men, educated in the traditional schools of ancient Israel. This book presents a fresh and enlivening case for the strong influence that this schooling must have had on the writers of the stories, poetry and proverbs of the Bible. The eight Bampton Lectures that form the first eight chapters of this book were delivered in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford, UK. The topics covered are: the evidence for schools in ancient Israel; comparisons between Egyptian and Israeli school-books and literature; ‘wisdom’ and school traditions in the Old Testament books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; the school tradition in the literary style of the teachings of the prophets and teachers; the narrative skills of the Jerusalem school tradition in the stories of the Old Testament; doubt and pessimism as expressed in Job and Ecclesiastes; and various aspects of belief and behaviour in the Old Testament, as reflected in the school tradition. The last chapter is a summing-up. The book is of interest to students and scholars of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) or religious studies, both in Judaism and Christianity.
David M. Carr
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199742608
- eISBN:
- 9780199918737
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199742608.003.0018
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This brief chapter contrasts the picture of early monarchal textual developed here with the texts (actual and reconstructed) typically dated to the early monarchy in the earlier twentieth century. In ...
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This brief chapter contrasts the picture of early monarchal textual developed here with the texts (actual and reconstructed) typically dated to the early monarchy in the earlier twentieth century. In particular, this portion of the book has identified significant portions of the “writings” as among the earliest parts of the Hebrew Bible: (royal) psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Songs. In addition, I have suggested that certain sub-portions of the present Pentateuch may date (in some written form) to the ninth century, such as an early portion of the Jacob-Joseph section of Genesis and a form of the Moses story which is no longer reconstructable. Nevertheless, it was only over the scope of the Neo-Assyrian to Hellenistic periods that such early materials embedded in the Pentateuch were revised and made into the Torah foundation of the Hebrew Bible, while texts such as Proverbs and Song of Songs were comparatively marginalized.Less
This brief chapter contrasts the picture of early monarchal textual developed here with the texts (actual and reconstructed) typically dated to the early monarchy in the earlier twentieth century. In particular, this portion of the book has identified significant portions of the “writings” as among the earliest parts of the Hebrew Bible: (royal) psalms, Proverbs, and Song of Songs. In addition, I have suggested that certain sub-portions of the present Pentateuch may date (in some written form) to the ninth century, such as an early portion of the Jacob-Joseph section of Genesis and a form of the Moses story which is no longer reconstructable. Nevertheless, it was only over the scope of the Neo-Assyrian to Hellenistic periods that such early materials embedded in the Pentateuch were revised and made into the Torah foundation of the Hebrew Bible, while texts such as Proverbs and Song of Songs were comparatively marginalized.
Wendy Haight, Teresa Ostler, James Black, and Linda Kingery
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195326055
- eISBN:
- 9780199864461
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326055.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families, Communities and Organizations
In the late 20th and early 21st century United States, the production and misuse of methamphetamine was a growing and urgent public health, criminal justice, and child welfare problem affecting whole ...
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In the late 20th and early 21st century United States, the production and misuse of methamphetamine was a growing and urgent public health, criminal justice, and child welfare problem affecting whole families and communities, particularly in rural areas. Yet, child welfare professionals, social workers, educators, and others working within rural areas had little systematic, descriptive data on which to build effective interventions for the growing numbers of children affected by methamphetamine misuse. This book describes a program of mixed methods research combining strategies from developmental and child clinical psychology, psychiatry, and ethnography to examine the psychological functioning of rural children from methamphetamine-involved families. Participants were twenty-nine children in foster care because of parental methamphetamine misuse, four mothers recovering from methamphetamine addiction, seven foster parents of children from methamphetamine-involved families, and twenty-eight knowledgeable rural professionals (child welfare and law enforcement professionals, substance abuse and mental health providers and educators). Children whose parents abuse methamphetamine are often exposed to toxic chemicals, violence, criminal behavior, and neglect as well as physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Many school-aged children in foster care because of parental methamphetamine misuse have high levels of trauma symptoms and behavior problems. Descriptive information on the contexts in which children are reared, participant observation, psychological testing, and in-depth interviews with children, in conjunction with existing research were used to develop and pilot test an intervention — Life Story Intervention — for rural children in foster care because of parent substance misuse.Less
In the late 20th and early 21st century United States, the production and misuse of methamphetamine was a growing and urgent public health, criminal justice, and child welfare problem affecting whole families and communities, particularly in rural areas. Yet, child welfare professionals, social workers, educators, and others working within rural areas had little systematic, descriptive data on which to build effective interventions for the growing numbers of children affected by methamphetamine misuse. This book describes a program of mixed methods research combining strategies from developmental and child clinical psychology, psychiatry, and ethnography to examine the psychological functioning of rural children from methamphetamine-involved families. Participants were twenty-nine children in foster care because of parental methamphetamine misuse, four mothers recovering from methamphetamine addiction, seven foster parents of children from methamphetamine-involved families, and twenty-eight knowledgeable rural professionals (child welfare and law enforcement professionals, substance abuse and mental health providers and educators). Children whose parents abuse methamphetamine are often exposed to toxic chemicals, violence, criminal behavior, and neglect as well as physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Many school-aged children in foster care because of parental methamphetamine misuse have high levels of trauma symptoms and behavior problems. Descriptive information on the contexts in which children are reared, participant observation, psychological testing, and in-depth interviews with children, in conjunction with existing research were used to develop and pilot test an intervention — Life Story Intervention — for rural children in foster care because of parent substance misuse.
Sudhir Kakar and John Munder Ross
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198072560
- eISBN:
- 9780199082124
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198072560.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Film, Media, and Cultural Studies
First published in 1986, this ground-breaking work addresses two complex and very human emotions—love and erotic passion—as these appear in the great love stories of the world. Starting with the ...
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First published in 1986, this ground-breaking work addresses two complex and very human emotions—love and erotic passion—as these appear in the great love stories of the world. Starting with the story of Romeo and Juliet and its roots in European Christianity, the authors uncover hidden depths of cultural and universal significance in famous romantic tales of the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent—‘Layla and Majnun’, ‘Heer and Ranjha’, ‘Sohni and Mahinwal’, ‘Vis and Ramin’, and ‘Radha and Krishna’. Moving westward again, the authors look at the Greek myth of Oedipus, the Celtic saga of Tristan and Isolde, the tragic drama of Hamlet, the legend of Phaedra and Hippolytus, and a contemporary handling of the love theme in the writings of Vladimir Nabokov. With each love story including within its gambit all of love’s paradoxical associations and radii—from conquest and possession to surrender, sensuality and sensuousness, time held still in a poised nostalgia, and the loss of visual, distal perceptions in another mode of knowing—this book elaborates on the phenomenology and what it calls the ontogeny of love, sex, and danger. In this second edition, the authors revisit their earlier assertions about romantic and erotic love in the light of contemporary psychoanalysis and literary theory.Less
First published in 1986, this ground-breaking work addresses two complex and very human emotions—love and erotic passion—as these appear in the great love stories of the world. Starting with the story of Romeo and Juliet and its roots in European Christianity, the authors uncover hidden depths of cultural and universal significance in famous romantic tales of the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent—‘Layla and Majnun’, ‘Heer and Ranjha’, ‘Sohni and Mahinwal’, ‘Vis and Ramin’, and ‘Radha and Krishna’. Moving westward again, the authors look at the Greek myth of Oedipus, the Celtic saga of Tristan and Isolde, the tragic drama of Hamlet, the legend of Phaedra and Hippolytus, and a contemporary handling of the love theme in the writings of Vladimir Nabokov. With each love story including within its gambit all of love’s paradoxical associations and radii—from conquest and possession to surrender, sensuality and sensuousness, time held still in a poised nostalgia, and the loss of visual, distal perceptions in another mode of knowing—this book elaborates on the phenomenology and what it calls the ontogeny of love, sex, and danger. In this second edition, the authors revisit their earlier assertions about romantic and erotic love in the light of contemporary psychoanalysis and literary theory.
Thomas R. Nevin
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195307214
- eISBN:
- 9780199785032
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195307216.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), also known as St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, and popularly referred to as the Little Flower, is arguably one of the most beloved women in modern ...
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Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), also known as St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, and popularly referred to as the Little Flower, is arguably one of the most beloved women in modern history. A Carmelite nun, doctor of the church, and patron of a score of causes, she was famously acclaimed by Pope Pius X as the greatest saint of modern times, and called a living icon of God by Pope John Paul II. Her autobiography, Story of a Soul, has been translated into more than sixty languages. Having long transcended national and linguistic boundaries, she has crossed even religious ones; as daughter of Allah, she is venerated widely in Islamic cultures. This book draws on previously untapped archival sources from the Carmel of Lisieux, numerous untranslated documents, formative texts of Carmelite spirituality, childhood readings, and unpublished photographs to provide a portrait of the saint's life and thoughts. It explores the dynamics of her family life and the early development of her spirituality, drawing on the correspondence of her mother and documenting her influence on Thérèse's autobiography and spirituality. It also charts the development of Thérèse 's career as a writer and gives close attention to her poetry and plays usually dismissed as undistinguished arguing that they have great value as texts by which she addressed and informed her Carmelite community.Less
Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), also known as St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, and popularly referred to as the Little Flower, is arguably one of the most beloved women in modern history. A Carmelite nun, doctor of the church, and patron of a score of causes, she was famously acclaimed by Pope Pius X as the greatest saint of modern times, and called a living icon of God by Pope John Paul II. Her autobiography, Story of a Soul, has been translated into more than sixty languages. Having long transcended national and linguistic boundaries, she has crossed even religious ones; as daughter of Allah, she is venerated widely in Islamic cultures. This book draws on previously untapped archival sources from the Carmel of Lisieux, numerous untranslated documents, formative texts of Carmelite spirituality, childhood readings, and unpublished photographs to provide a portrait of the saint's life and thoughts. It explores the dynamics of her family life and the early development of her spirituality, drawing on the correspondence of her mother and documenting her influence on Thérèse's autobiography and spirituality. It also charts the development of Thérèse 's career as a writer and gives close attention to her poetry and plays usually dismissed as undistinguished arguing that they have great value as texts by which she addressed and informed her Carmelite community.
Lynne Dale Halamish and Doron Hermoni
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- November 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195325379
- eISBN:
- 9780199999811
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195325379.001.0001
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making, Palliative Medicine and Older People
This book is a practical and direct handbook for grieving. It presents 30 stories from real life that examine how we grieve and how we can help those who grieve—whether the griever is oneself, ...
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This book is a practical and direct handbook for grieving. It presents 30 stories from real life that examine how we grieve and how we can help those who grieve—whether the griever is oneself, someone we care about, or a client or patient. The authors present vignettes from practice that show how death—lingering, unexpected, violent, or self-inflicted—and the loss of a relationship—to oneself or with a child, sibling, parent, mate, grandparent, or friend—give life to grief, together with the process by which each person fully encounters his or her grief. Each story is no more than two or three pages, and the authors follow each one with a short summary of its teachings and a selection of annotated recent references for those who wish to read more about a topic.Less
This book is a practical and direct handbook for grieving. It presents 30 stories from real life that examine how we grieve and how we can help those who grieve—whether the griever is oneself, someone we care about, or a client or patient. The authors present vignettes from practice that show how death—lingering, unexpected, violent, or self-inflicted—and the loss of a relationship—to oneself or with a child, sibling, parent, mate, grandparent, or friend—give life to grief, together with the process by which each person fully encounters his or her grief. Each story is no more than two or three pages, and the authors follow each one with a short summary of its teachings and a selection of annotated recent references for those who wish to read more about a topic.
Mark Turner
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195126679
- eISBN:
- 9780199853007
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195126679.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
This book ranges from the tools of modern linguistics, to the recent work of neuroscientists such as Antonio Damasio and Gerald Edelman, to literary masterpieces by Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, and ...
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This book ranges from the tools of modern linguistics, to the recent work of neuroscientists such as Antonio Damasio and Gerald Edelman, to literary masterpieces by Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, and Proust, to explain how story and projection — and their powerful combination in parable — are fundamental to everyday thought. In simple and traditional English, the author reveals how we use parable to understand space and time, to grasp what it means to be located in space and time, and to conceive of ourselves, other selves, other lives, and other viewpoints. He explains the role of parable in reasoning, in categorizing, and in solving problems. He develops a powerful model of conceptual construction and, in a far-reaching final chapter, extends it to a new conception of the origin of language that contradicts proposals by such thinkers as Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker. This book argues that story, projection, and parable precede grammar, and that language follows from these mental capacities as a consequence. The author concludes that language is the child of the literary mind. Offering revisions to our understanding of thought, conceptual activity, and the origin and nature of language, The Literary Mind presents a unified theory of central problems in cognitive science, linguistics, neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy.Less
This book ranges from the tools of modern linguistics, to the recent work of neuroscientists such as Antonio Damasio and Gerald Edelman, to literary masterpieces by Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, and Proust, to explain how story and projection — and their powerful combination in parable — are fundamental to everyday thought. In simple and traditional English, the author reveals how we use parable to understand space and time, to grasp what it means to be located in space and time, and to conceive of ourselves, other selves, other lives, and other viewpoints. He explains the role of parable in reasoning, in categorizing, and in solving problems. He develops a powerful model of conceptual construction and, in a far-reaching final chapter, extends it to a new conception of the origin of language that contradicts proposals by such thinkers as Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker. This book argues that story, projection, and parable precede grammar, and that language follows from these mental capacities as a consequence. The author concludes that language is the child of the literary mind. Offering revisions to our understanding of thought, conceptual activity, and the origin and nature of language, The Literary Mind presents a unified theory of central problems in cognitive science, linguistics, neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy.
Rachel Stanworth
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198525110
- eISBN:
- 9780191730504
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198525110.001.0001
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making, Palliative Medicine Research
Listening carefully to patients at the end of life is at the heart of good palliative care and this book provides a means of recognizing and talking about spiritual needs even when religious language ...
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Listening carefully to patients at the end of life is at the heart of good palliative care and this book provides a means of recognizing and talking about spiritual needs even when religious language is not used. The author refers to this as a ‘language of spirit’. The book is based on interviews with patients who are dying and the language that they use to describe their experiences. It deals with death, dying, the experiences of patients, and the relief of spiritual pain by looking closely at patient stories, drawings, and behaviour. The book explains why it is often easier to recognize than to explain spiritual issues. Part One explores the psychological, spiritual, and theological interpretations of human experience. A detailed account is given of how the patients' own stories were collected. Drawing on a broad literature that is grounded in patients' words and deeds, Part Two introduces a non-religious ‘language of spirit’. Illuminated by patient art, Part Three shows what patients use this language to ‘say’ about their situation and how it is mediated through various metaphors. Part Four suggests ways of responding positively to patients' spiritual needs.Less
Listening carefully to patients at the end of life is at the heart of good palliative care and this book provides a means of recognizing and talking about spiritual needs even when religious language is not used. The author refers to this as a ‘language of spirit’. The book is based on interviews with patients who are dying and the language that they use to describe their experiences. It deals with death, dying, the experiences of patients, and the relief of spiritual pain by looking closely at patient stories, drawings, and behaviour. The book explains why it is often easier to recognize than to explain spiritual issues. Part One explores the psychological, spiritual, and theological interpretations of human experience. A detailed account is given of how the patients' own stories were collected. Drawing on a broad literature that is grounded in patients' words and deeds, Part Two introduces a non-religious ‘language of spirit’. Illuminated by patient art, Part Three shows what patients use this language to ‘say’ about their situation and how it is mediated through various metaphors. Part Four suggests ways of responding positively to patients' spiritual needs.
Jeffrey G. Snodgrass
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195304343
- eISBN:
- 9780199785063
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195304349.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
In this chapter, Bhat caste history and identity are presented, with particular attention paid to these bards’ claims to be “traditional” puppeteers. It is shown that such a claim, like many others ...
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In this chapter, Bhat caste history and identity are presented, with particular attention paid to these bards’ claims to be “traditional” puppeteers. It is shown that such a claim, like many others made by members of this caste of professional story-tellers, is a tactical lie used to reap profits in the Rajasthani tourist industry. The chapter takes readers on the same bewildering journey experienced by the author during his initial months of anthropological fieldwork in India, a period during which he was repeatedly and creatively lied to by his informants. In turning the chapter’s attention to these deceptions, as well as to Bhat tales that comment on the power of such deception, the book provides a colorful introduction to these bards’ caste identity, and especially to the manner that such an identity revolves around the ability to cunningly manipulate both stories and people. This introductory chapter, which is written in a manner reminiscent of a mystery novel and which delves deeply into Bhat oral histories and folklore, also provides an entertaining self-reflexive account of anthropological research and writing about other cultures.Less
In this chapter, Bhat caste history and identity are presented, with particular attention paid to these bards’ claims to be “traditional” puppeteers. It is shown that such a claim, like many others made by members of this caste of professional story-tellers, is a tactical lie used to reap profits in the Rajasthani tourist industry. The chapter takes readers on the same bewildering journey experienced by the author during his initial months of anthropological fieldwork in India, a period during which he was repeatedly and creatively lied to by his informants. In turning the chapter’s attention to these deceptions, as well as to Bhat tales that comment on the power of such deception, the book provides a colorful introduction to these bards’ caste identity, and especially to the manner that such an identity revolves around the ability to cunningly manipulate both stories and people. This introductory chapter, which is written in a manner reminiscent of a mystery novel and which delves deeply into Bhat oral histories and folklore, also provides an entertaining self-reflexive account of anthropological research and writing about other cultures.
Jason Danely
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780197266830
- eISBN:
- 9780191938160
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266830.003.0011
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
To be vulnerable is not only to be open and exposed to the world, but in some sense to be wounded by it. As Arthur Frank (1995) observed, these wounds won through adversity call out for stories. For ...
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To be vulnerable is not only to be open and exposed to the world, but in some sense to be wounded by it. As Arthur Frank (1995) observed, these wounds won through adversity call out for stories. For those who provide care to others, these stories are rarely singular or coherent, but throb and ache again as each day bringsa new flavour and flux. While vulnerable narratives expose the self to the world, they also provide a basis for responding to that world with attentive presence. I use the word ‘compassion’ to refer to this receptive engagement and caring responsiveness to suffering, arguing that cultural stories shape the ways vulnerable compassionate subjectivities are formed. In order to illustrate this cultural shaping of woundedness and compassion, I examine the narratives of carers of older family members in Japan and England. Ethnographic examples reveal the ways individuals develop vulnerable narratives and the ways these narratives are constrained by cultural and political circumstances.Less
To be vulnerable is not only to be open and exposed to the world, but in some sense to be wounded by it. As Arthur Frank (1995) observed, these wounds won through adversity call out for stories. For those who provide care to others, these stories are rarely singular or coherent, but throb and ache again as each day bringsa new flavour and flux. While vulnerable narratives expose the self to the world, they also provide a basis for responding to that world with attentive presence. I use the word ‘compassion’ to refer to this receptive engagement and caring responsiveness to suffering, arguing that cultural stories shape the ways vulnerable compassionate subjectivities are formed. In order to illustrate this cultural shaping of woundedness and compassion, I examine the narratives of carers of older family members in Japan and England. Ethnographic examples reveal the ways individuals develop vulnerable narratives and the ways these narratives are constrained by cultural and political circumstances.
Francesca Aran Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199219285
- eISBN:
- 9780191711664
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199219285.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The book argues that the contemporary theological practice of describing Christian doctrines or beliefs as ‘narratives’ or ‘stories’ leads to a non-realistic idea of God, that is, to conceiving God ...
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The book argues that the contemporary theological practice of describing Christian doctrines or beliefs as ‘narratives’ or ‘stories’ leads to a non-realistic idea of God, that is, to conceiving God as a story or narrative invented by ourselves. The idea that doctrines are narratives derives from an emphasis on the method of theology, that is, the substitution of a self-reflective description of how we know about God for saying what God is. The aspect of how we know about God upon which descriptive or narrative theologies focus is visual, and hence we characterize such theologies as cinematic or ‘movieish’. The book considers four ways in which narrative theologies replace content with method. Within ecclesiology, Barthian narrative theologians stress our grasp of the resurrected Christ at the expense of the resurrection witnesses. In the context of arguing for God's existence, Thomistic narrativists discuss the rationality of our questioning rather than the evidence for God's existence. Since, therefore, neither Barthian nor Thomistic narrative theologies can assume that the Creator God is metaphysically known, they visualize the problem of evil, presenting it like a melodramatic conflict. Fourthly, the attempt to elucidate the Trinity by means of narration or description tends toward modalism or Sabellianism. The focus of narrative theologies on methodological or epistemic issues entails that they reflect either the faith of the believer (rather than the object of belief) or the reason of the reasoner (rather than its target). This book proposes that theology can bypass this fideism/rationalism axis by making love the basis of theology, and that in four ways: the source of the Church and its scriptures is an act of love; the evidential image on which proofs for the existence of God can be based is the love of mother for child; the appearance of the Trinity in our history is the expression of the love of God; and hence, since its principal object is God's active love, theology refers, not to a melodrama, but to a real drama.Less
The book argues that the contemporary theological practice of describing Christian doctrines or beliefs as ‘narratives’ or ‘stories’ leads to a non-realistic idea of God, that is, to conceiving God as a story or narrative invented by ourselves. The idea that doctrines are narratives derives from an emphasis on the method of theology, that is, the substitution of a self-reflective description of how we know about God for saying what God is. The aspect of how we know about God upon which descriptive or narrative theologies focus is visual, and hence we characterize such theologies as cinematic or ‘movieish’. The book considers four ways in which narrative theologies replace content with method. Within ecclesiology, Barthian narrative theologians stress our grasp of the resurrected Christ at the expense of the resurrection witnesses. In the context of arguing for God's existence, Thomistic narrativists discuss the rationality of our questioning rather than the evidence for God's existence. Since, therefore, neither Barthian nor Thomistic narrative theologies can assume that the Creator God is metaphysically known, they visualize the problem of evil, presenting it like a melodramatic conflict. Fourthly, the attempt to elucidate the Trinity by means of narration or description tends toward modalism or Sabellianism. The focus of narrative theologies on methodological or epistemic issues entails that they reflect either the faith of the believer (rather than the object of belief) or the reason of the reasoner (rather than its target). This book proposes that theology can bypass this fideism/rationalism axis by making love the basis of theology, and that in four ways: the source of the Church and its scriptures is an act of love; the evidential image on which proofs for the existence of God can be based is the love of mother for child; the appearance of the Trinity in our history is the expression of the love of God; and hence, since its principal object is God's active love, theology refers, not to a melodrama, but to a real drama.
Mary Douglas
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199245413
- eISBN:
- 9780191697463
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199245413.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This book is a classic work on the anthropology of the Book of Numbers. Up to now Bible scholars have tended to dismiss Numbers — Wellhausen called it the junk room of the Bible, and most ...
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This book is a classic work on the anthropology of the Book of Numbers. Up to now Bible scholars have tended to dismiss Numbers — Wellhausen called it the junk room of the Bible, and most contemporary commentaries feel called upon to say something about its apparent lack of coherence. This book argues that Numbers is composed of twelve alternating sections of law and narrative arranged in a ring, with each law and narrative section corresponding to its pair on the other side. Notes from a Hebrew scholar confirm the pattern by identifying objectively the beginnings and endings of law and narrative. On this showing Numbers turns out to be an extremely coherent example of a well-known antique rhetorical system. The meaning of the book comes out very differently according to whether it is read linearly or as written, synoptically. This book shows that Numbers is not heavy or obscure but reads like a detective story.Less
This book is a classic work on the anthropology of the Book of Numbers. Up to now Bible scholars have tended to dismiss Numbers — Wellhausen called it the junk room of the Bible, and most contemporary commentaries feel called upon to say something about its apparent lack of coherence. This book argues that Numbers is composed of twelve alternating sections of law and narrative arranged in a ring, with each law and narrative section corresponding to its pair on the other side. Notes from a Hebrew scholar confirm the pattern by identifying objectively the beginnings and endings of law and narrative. On this showing Numbers turns out to be an extremely coherent example of a well-known antique rhetorical system. The meaning of the book comes out very differently according to whether it is read linearly or as written, synoptically. This book shows that Numbers is not heavy or obscure but reads like a detective story.
Lynne Dale Halamish and Doron Hermoni
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- November 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195325379
- eISBN:
- 9780199999811
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195325379.003.0006
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making, Palliative Medicine and Older People
This chapter discusses the importance of talking openly about the death of chronically ill patients. It suggests opening the discussion about death and fears by giving the patient the confidence that ...
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This chapter discusses the importance of talking openly about the death of chronically ill patients. It suggests opening the discussion about death and fears by giving the patient the confidence that one is really interested in what he or she has to say. The chapter also recommends avoiding isolating the dying person either physically or emotionally and explains how the personal story of narration gives meaning to both the dying person and to the listener. It describes the case of Rachel, whose mother admitted to her that she did not want to live anymore.Less
This chapter discusses the importance of talking openly about the death of chronically ill patients. It suggests opening the discussion about death and fears by giving the patient the confidence that one is really interested in what he or she has to say. The chapter also recommends avoiding isolating the dying person either physically or emotionally and explains how the personal story of narration gives meaning to both the dying person and to the listener. It describes the case of Rachel, whose mother admitted to her that she did not want to live anymore.
Charlotte Linde
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195140286
- eISBN:
- 9780199871247
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195140286.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
This chapter analyzes five temporally complete tellings of the history of MidWest, and posits the existence of a core story repertoire, the set of retold tales that are most frequently told. These ...
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This chapter analyzes five temporally complete tellings of the history of MidWest, and posits the existence of a core story repertoire, the set of retold tales that are most frequently told. These include stories about the founder, the growth and expansion of the company, and difficulties overcome. It is the details of the stories that characterize the institution: the particular virtues of the founder, the particular types of effort required. This comparison also shows how narrators use their position in the company and their relation to their addressees to shape a particular telling to be appropriate to an occasion, or to make points particularly salient to the time of the telling. Thus, the core story repertoire is not an inert archive. It is a set of stories which are retold to make them continuously relevant.Less
This chapter analyzes five temporally complete tellings of the history of MidWest, and posits the existence of a core story repertoire, the set of retold tales that are most frequently told. These include stories about the founder, the growth and expansion of the company, and difficulties overcome. It is the details of the stories that characterize the institution: the particular virtues of the founder, the particular types of effort required. This comparison also shows how narrators use their position in the company and their relation to their addressees to shape a particular telling to be appropriate to an occasion, or to make points particularly salient to the time of the telling. Thus, the core story repertoire is not an inert archive. It is a set of stories which are retold to make them continuously relevant.
Peter Brooks
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691151588
- eISBN:
- 9781400839698
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691151588.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
“We know that it matters crucially to be able to say who we are, why we are here, and where we are going,” this book claims. Many of us are also uncomfortably aware that we cannot provide a ...
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“We know that it matters crucially to be able to say who we are, why we are here, and where we are going,” this book claims. Many of us are also uncomfortably aware that we cannot provide a convincing account of our identity to others or even ourselves. Despite, or because of that failure, we keep searching for identity, making it up, trying to authenticate it, and inventing excuses for our unpersuasive stories about it. This wide-ranging book draws on literature, law, and psychoanalysis to examine important aspects of the emergence of identity as a peculiarly modern preoccupation. In particular, the book addresses the social, legal, and personal anxieties provoked by the rise of individualism and selfhood in modern culture. Paying special attention to Rousseau, Freud, and Proust, the book also looks at the intersection of individual life stories with the law, and considers the creation of an introspective project that culminates in psychoanalysis. In doing so, it offers new insights into the questions and clues about who we think we are.Less
“We know that it matters crucially to be able to say who we are, why we are here, and where we are going,” this book claims. Many of us are also uncomfortably aware that we cannot provide a convincing account of our identity to others or even ourselves. Despite, or because of that failure, we keep searching for identity, making it up, trying to authenticate it, and inventing excuses for our unpersuasive stories about it. This wide-ranging book draws on literature, law, and psychoanalysis to examine important aspects of the emergence of identity as a peculiarly modern preoccupation. In particular, the book addresses the social, legal, and personal anxieties provoked by the rise of individualism and selfhood in modern culture. Paying special attention to Rousseau, Freud, and Proust, the book also looks at the intersection of individual life stories with the law, and considers the creation of an introspective project that culminates in psychoanalysis. In doing so, it offers new insights into the questions and clues about who we think we are.
Rachel Stanworth
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198525110
- eISBN:
- 9780191730504
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198525110.003.0005
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making, Palliative Medicine Research
This chapter discusses data analysis and interpretation, which is to tell a new story. However, there exists a natural tension between telling a new story and the desire to remain loyal to the ...
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This chapter discusses data analysis and interpretation, which is to tell a new story. However, there exists a natural tension between telling a new story and the desire to remain loyal to the original material upon which it relies. It discusses the role of the qualitative researcher, who is responsible for recollecting the conditions of data collection, and who is aware of the nuances of discourse or of the ‘feeling’ of silence. It also mentions several programmes the researcher can use to analyze and interpret the gathered data.Less
This chapter discusses data analysis and interpretation, which is to tell a new story. However, there exists a natural tension between telling a new story and the desire to remain loyal to the original material upon which it relies. It discusses the role of the qualitative researcher, who is responsible for recollecting the conditions of data collection, and who is aware of the nuances of discourse or of the ‘feeling’ of silence. It also mentions several programmes the researcher can use to analyze and interpret the gathered data.
Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Paul Waldman
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195152777
- eISBN:
- 9780199833900
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195152778.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
The reports that journalists offer are not called “stories” by accident. This chapter analyzes a series of cases, in wars, electoral campaigns, and policy debates, in which dramatic stories framed ...
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The reports that journalists offer are not called “stories” by accident. This chapter analyzes a series of cases, in wars, electoral campaigns, and policy debates, in which dramatic stories framed coverage and overwhelmed the facts. As a result, inaccuracies passed into news and the public was left misinformed.Less
The reports that journalists offer are not called “stories” by accident. This chapter analyzes a series of cases, in wars, electoral campaigns, and policy debates, in which dramatic stories framed coverage and overwhelmed the facts. As a result, inaccuracies passed into news and the public was left misinformed.
Deborah Chester
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781784992880
- eISBN:
- 9781526104199
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781784992880.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
There’s more to writing a successful fantasy story than building a unique world or inventing a new type of magic. From the writing of strong, action-packed scenes to the creation of dynamic, ...
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There’s more to writing a successful fantasy story than building a unique world or inventing a new type of magic. From the writing of strong, action-packed scenes to the creation of dynamic, multi-dimensional characters, fantasy author Deborah Chester guides novices and intermediate writers through a step-by-step process of story construction. Whether offering tips on how to test a plot premise or survive what she calls the dark dismal middle, Chester shares the techniques she uses in writing her own novels. Examples drawn from both traditional and urban fantasy illustrate her nuts-and-bolts approach to elemental story design. With an introduction by Jim Butcher, who studied writing in Chester’s classes at the University of Oklahoma, The fantasy fiction formula delivers a practical, proven approach to writing fantasy like a pro.Less
There’s more to writing a successful fantasy story than building a unique world or inventing a new type of magic. From the writing of strong, action-packed scenes to the creation of dynamic, multi-dimensional characters, fantasy author Deborah Chester guides novices and intermediate writers through a step-by-step process of story construction. Whether offering tips on how to test a plot premise or survive what she calls the dark dismal middle, Chester shares the techniques she uses in writing her own novels. Examples drawn from both traditional and urban fantasy illustrate her nuts-and-bolts approach to elemental story design. With an introduction by Jim Butcher, who studied writing in Chester’s classes at the University of Oklahoma, The fantasy fiction formula delivers a practical, proven approach to writing fantasy like a pro.
