Narrative necessity and the fixity of meaning in a life

Westlund, Andrea C.

doi:10.1075/ni.21.2.19wes

Article published In: Narrative Inquiry
Vol. 21:2 (2011) ► pp.391–398

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Narrative necessity and the fixity of meaning in a life

Andrea C. Westlund | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Published online: 5 January 2012

https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.21.2.19wes

This paper raises doubts about the necessity of narrative to selfhood or unified agency, but suggests that there may nonetheless be an important role for autobiographical narrative in (provisionally) fixing the meaning of events, actions, and experiences within a life.

Keywords: trajectory dependence, narrative necessity, autobiography, self, narrative, autonomy, agency

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