Taking Next Steps: Gerontological Education, Research, and the Literary Imagination

This article interprets two literary works--both about old women who have suffered strokes and are near death--and argues that literature can make essential contributions to gerontological research and education by developing sensitivity to theory, empathic understanding, and self-awareness. This article examines these fictional accounts against two theoretical perspectives--the political economy of aging and theories of personal meaning--and encourages epistemological experimentation.