The role of fiction in (mis)representing later life leisure activities

Abstract

The study of ageing is becoming increasingly prominent in academic research, the media and policy debates with the rapid growth of the world’s ageing population. In particular is the perception that older people should engage in active leisure pursuits to address the actual and perceived effects of the ageing process. However, there remains limited understanding of the experiences of ageing, longevity and lifestyle choices. This paper addresses this by drawing on fictional accounts of ageing, which are viewed as an important gerontological resource for understanding how ideas about ageing are shaped by culture, and how alternative images of ageing may be constructed and made possible through literary fiction. This paper is framed by a critical interactionist perspective. Fiction, whether written, sung or acted, is itself a form of symbolic interaction, since the audience members use their imagination to interpret the script according to their own sense of self and ideas about social life; in this way, fictional representations of ageing may develop understanding of the personal and social aspects of growing older. I will explore the ways in which fictional representations of older people might perpetuate and/or challenge stereotypes of ageing and influence involvement in leisure activities in later life.

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