William L. Randall

This is a revealing sample of narrative gerontology using familiar childhood tales to invoke reminiscences and provoke reflections and new interpretations from older adults.

Randall a gerontologist and former priest in the Anglican Church of Canada and two friends, Achenbaum a semi-retired professor of history and gerontologist as well as the husband of Lewis a retired psychoanalyst and Episcopal priest start by giving interpretations of Aesop’s fable of the tortoise and the hare. From there the three go on to comment individually on stories as each remembers it from early life, first giving a summary of a tale from the Bible, a folktale, or a literary fairy tale or fantasy and then add their mature reflections on it. What does it mean to them now, from which new points of view could it be considered, what thoughts does it provoke?

Having set these examples, Randall goes on to challenge other readers, those of us chronologically gifted enough to try this method ourselves and adds writing prompts on how to proceed.… (mehr)