‘Mind-reading’, a method for understanding the broken narrative of an aphasic man
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Tarja Aaltonen
Abstract
An aphasic man tells, an extremely fragmented, excited, and hard-to-comprehend “story.” The aim of this article is to mobilize ideas from conversation analysis (CA) and cognitive narratology, in particular those related to “mind reading,” in making sense of the problematic story and the interactional process in which the story was processed and endorsed. In cognitive narratology, it is widely assumed that people routinely interpret and misinterpret other people’s minds. This capacity to cross over the limits of the “intramental” mind and to flexibly use the resources of the “intermental” mind may become vital in situations involving severe speech and communication impediments. The experience from such cases of storytelling and comprehension may enhance the understanding of co-authoring of narratives in general.
Abstract
An aphasic man tells, an extremely fragmented, excited, and hard-to-comprehend “story.” The aim of this article is to mobilize ideas from conversation analysis (CA) and cognitive narratology, in particular those related to “mind reading,” in making sense of the problematic story and the interactional process in which the story was processed and endorsed. In cognitive narratology, it is widely assumed that people routinely interpret and misinterpret other people’s minds. This capacity to cross over the limits of the “intramental” mind and to flexibly use the resources of the “intermental” mind may become vital in situations involving severe speech and communication impediments. The experience from such cases of storytelling and comprehension may enhance the understanding of co-authoring of narratives in general.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Beyond narrative coherence 1
- Weird stories 17
- Identity, self, narrative 33
- ‘Mind-reading’, a method for understanding the broken narrative of an aphasic man 49
- Broken narratives, visual forces 67
- Artists-in-progress 87
- Breaking of self-narrative as a means of reorientation? 103
- “There is no fear in my lexicon” vs. “You are not normal if you won’t be scared” 121
- Beyond narrative 147
- Afterword 167
- Index 191
- List of contributors 187
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Beyond narrative coherence 1
- Weird stories 17
- Identity, self, narrative 33
- ‘Mind-reading’, a method for understanding the broken narrative of an aphasic man 49
- Broken narratives, visual forces 67
- Artists-in-progress 87
- Breaking of self-narrative as a means of reorientation? 103
- “There is no fear in my lexicon” vs. “You are not normal if you won’t be scared” 121
- Beyond narrative 147
- Afterword 167
- Index 191
- List of contributors 187
