IN THE SUBJUNCTIVE MODE - EPILEPSY NARRATIVES IN TURKEY

Careful analysis of transcripts of interviews we conducted with a samp le of persons identified as suffering epilepsy or seizure disorders in an epidemiological study in Turkey revealed not only that life storie s of illness have an overall narrative structure but that the intervie ws were composed as a corpus of shorter stories. Analytic concepts fro m reader response theory bring attention to aspects of both the overal l life story and the stories told about illness. In particular, we ide ntify 'subjunctivizing tactics' present in the narrative representatio n of illness that allow sufferers and their families to justify contin ued care-seeking and to maintain hope for positive, even 'miraculous,' outcomes. In particular, these narratives maintain multiple perspecti ves and the potential for multiple readings, suggesting alternative pl ots about source and outcome of illness, and they represent potency an d the possibilities for healing through stories of encounters with the mysterious.