Overreading Narrative Absence as Illness

What is it about?

Narrative medicine argues that we should read closely the narratives of patients in order to uncover what they really mean to say through absences, silences and gaps. This paper argues that while this is often helpful, it may lead to overreading, in which the absence of illness is interpreted as a symptom of illness.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Narrative medicine has been growing over the last few decades, particularly in Europe and North America. This paper seeks to nuance one of the broader concerns related to this field and alert readers to the possibilities of over-enthusiastic applications of reading.