Taking next steps: gerontological education, research, and the literary imagination.
This article interprets two literary works--both about old women who have suffered strokes and are near death--and argues that literature can make essential contributions to gerontological research and education by developing sensitivity to theory, empathic understanding, and self-awareness. This article examines these fictional accounts against two theoretical perspectives--the political economy of aging and theories of personal meaning--and encourages epistemological experimentation.
Holstein
M
M
Institute for Medical Humanities, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555.
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001293:Attitude to Death; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008093:Literature, Modern; D011582:Psychological Theory