Toward a Lyric Gerontology

Abstract

Abstract This chapter proposes lyric gerontology as an expansion of narrative gerontology, emphasizing the poetic dimensions of aging and later life. While narrative approaches have illuminated how people make sense of aging through storytelling, lyric modes offer another way of knowing—one rooted in presence, feeling, and the immediacy of experience. Drawing on the distinction between narrative’s horizontal time and lyric’s vertical time, the chapter argues that lyric modes reveal the “lyric now” of aging, highlighting moments of awareness and being rather than the sequencing of events. Through both theoretical exploration and empirical examples—from literary works to the poetic expressions of older adults, including those living with dementia—the chapter shows how lyric sensibilities can deepen understanding of aging as interpretive, embodied, and creative work. Ultimately, lyric gerontology invites a more open and resonant poetics of later life.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 0 citations exist upstream.

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.