The sense of the intact and the deconstruction of the self: Story as redemptive mediation

Abstract

The notion of self is posed as a problematic which may fruitfully be approached by a dose examination of the meaning of what story is. The problematic is resolved to some extent by the argument that story encompasses both the sense of the intact and the trace of decomtruction. Because the self indicates not only the empirical but also the numinous and ineffable, its relation to story is considered in terms of redemptive value. The mediative values of story are discussed by referring to the self as writer, reader and narrative. Because story offers an endless possibility of image and sequence, its co-dependence with s e lf offers hope, possibility, and consequently, an imminent redemption.