Some narrative inquirers, for example, have brought theory to bear in such a way as to disclose the unconscious, the suppressed, the marginalized, and the unnamable, actually releasing specificity and authenticity instead of totalizing them. By suggesting that narrative celebrates the personal while theory tends to obscure it, the authors discount the experiences of those who turn to theory in order to think through the pain of their lives and imagine better alternatives. For them, theory, quite a personal matter, becomes an integral part of their own autobiographies. Ultimately, Clandinin and Connelly lean most heavily on narrative as a form of representation rather than a mode of analysis. Human lives, they suggest, are woven of stories.
Individuals construct their identities through their own and others stories.
They experience daily encounters and interactions as stories. Every present moment has a storied past and a storied future possibility. Social phenomena become a converging point for individual, collective, and cultural stories. In making these characterizations, the authors proffer interesting ideas about creating field and research texts, potentially useful for qualitative researchers. When I think about my own students in qualitative research, however, I regret that the book does not offer more insight into the thorny problems of analysis and trustworthiness.