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Narrating Loneliness: Isolation, Disaffection, and the Contemporary Novel.

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Title: Narrating Loneliness: Isolation, Disaffection, and the Contemporary Novel.
Authors: Rotger, Neus (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Medical Humanities. Jun2025, Vol. 46 Issue 2, p221-234. 14p.
Subjects: Loneliness, Social isolation, Apathy, Literature, Narratives, Agent (Philosophy), Ideological analysis, Well-being
Abstract: This article focuses on the ways in which narrative accounts of loneliness in literature problematize current definitions of this important and yet underexplored determinant of health. I argue that the prevailing conceptualization of loneliness in health research, with a general emphasis on social prescribing, obscures other dimensions of loneliness beyond social connectedness that also need to be accounted for in its definition. Drawing on narrative approaches to health and care and taking as a case study Santiago Lorenzo's Spanish novel Los asquerosos (2018), the article gestures toward a more political—rather than exclusively subjective and relational—reading of loneliness. It shows how the novel's exploration of loneliness as an ambivalent experience of tranquility and disaffection questions whether there is any direct causation between loneliness and aloneness or social isolation, presenting loneliness not so much as a problem or a social pain in need of curing, but as a symptom of a larger structural crisis. The article also reflects on the ability of literary narratives to illuminate, discuss, and ultimately challenge the underlying dynamics of loneliness, raising questions about how we understand these narratives and the type of agency we attribute to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Medical Humanities is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Narrating Loneliness: Isolation, Disaffection, and the Contemporary Novel.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rotger%2C+Neus%22">Rotger, Neus</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Medical+Humanities%22">Journal of Medical Humanities</searchLink>. Jun2025, Vol. 46 Issue 2, p221-234. 14p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Loneliness%22">Loneliness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+isolation%22">Social isolation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Apathy%22">Apathy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Literature%22">Literature</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Narratives%22">Narratives</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Agent+%28Philosophy%29%22">Agent (Philosophy)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ideological+analysis%22">Ideological analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Well-being%22">Well-being</searchLink>
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  Data: This article focuses on the ways in which narrative accounts of loneliness in literature problematize current definitions of this important and yet underexplored determinant of health. I argue that the prevailing conceptualization of loneliness in health research, with a general emphasis on social prescribing, obscures other dimensions of loneliness beyond social connectedness that also need to be accounted for in its definition. Drawing on narrative approaches to health and care and taking as a case study Santiago Lorenzo's Spanish novel Los asquerosos (2018), the article gestures toward a more political—rather than exclusively subjective and relational—reading of loneliness. It shows how the novel's exploration of loneliness as an ambivalent experience of tranquility and disaffection questions whether there is any direct causation between loneliness and aloneness or social isolation, presenting loneliness not so much as a problem or a social pain in need of curing, but as a symptom of a larger structural crisis. The article also reflects on the ability of literary narratives to illuminate, discuss, and ultimately challenge the underlying dynamics of loneliness, raising questions about how we understand these narratives and the type of agency we attribute to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Medical Humanities is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1007/s10912-024-09855-z
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 14
        StartPage: 221
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Loneliness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social isolation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Apathy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Literature
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      – SubjectFull: Narratives
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      – SubjectFull: Ideological analysis
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              Text: Jun2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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