Writing pain as an act of self-injury
ISSN: 0211-5913
Year of publication: 2004
Issue: 48
Pages: 205-222
Type: Article
More publications in: Revista Canaria de Estudios Ingleses
Abstract
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.