Metodo

International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Journal | Volume | Article

143380

Abstract

Peter Goldie's account of grief as a narrative process that unfolds over time allow us to address the structure of self-understanding in the experience of loss. Taking up the Goldie's idea that narrativity plays a crucial role in grief, I will argue that the experience of desynchronization and an altered relation to language disrupt even of our ability to compose narratives and to think narratively. Further, I will argue that Goldie's account of grief as a narratively structured process focus on the process having come to an end. By contrast, I will propose the idea that grief can be understood as an open-ended rehearsal of our capacity to be alone in the company of an absent other. This makes grief a relational activity that differs from composing narratives about one's past and about one's process of grieving. Thus, grief is not primarily a process of recollecting our past narratively; rather, it can be seen as a dedicational activity which involves a future-oriented and open-ended rehearsal of relatedness despite irrevocable absence.

Publication details

Published in:

(2018) Continental Philosophy Review 51 (3).

Pages: 343-360

DOI: 10.1007/s11007-017-9423-7

Full citation:

Ryberg Ingerslev Line (2018) „Ongoing: on grief's open-ended rehearsal“. Continental Philosophy Review 51 (3), 343–360.