Writing pain as an act of self-injury
ISSN: 0211-5913
Any de publicació: 2004
Número: 48
Pàgines: 205-222
Tipus: Article
Altres publicacions en: Revista Canaria de Estudios Ingleses
Resum
Writing an autobiography is often acknowledged as a therapeutic measure in situations of pain. It allows reintegration of identity -fragmented during illness- provides agency and helps establish a sense of commonality. Bur for writing to be effective it requires "new style, new composition, [and] surprising imagination" (Kristeva 51). In this essay 1 examine a corpus of narratives of illness written in English and Spanish and argue that the uniformity of the metaphors and structures used may nor only hinder the process of healing but may facilitate the repetition of the experience of pain.