This is a socio-linguistic study of how people create and exchange coherent oral life stories. It claims that such stories serve a number of psychological and social purposes, including the development and expression of a sense of self and the definition of relationships and group memberships.

"An excellent example of interdisciplinary theory and research, and a lucid introduction to the study of narrative. Linde bridges the neglected gap between rhetoric and the psychology of narrative. Really delightful."--Andrew Garrison, Miami University "Looks extremely interesting....Offers the opportunity to bridge some significant gaps in our understanding of how our self schemas really function."--Elizabeth Weiss Ozorak, Allegheny College "I have read Life Stories with much pleasure and enlightenment. It is a work that combines impressive scholarship in several academic disciplines, and an insightful perspective on popular culture. It will make a substantial contribution to several fields: linguistics, conversation analysis, discourse analysis, psychology, anthropology, and sociology--and no doubt others as well."--Robin Lakoff, University of California, Berkeley "Charlotte Linde's book provides a useful exploration of life stories' structure and their implications for larger issues."--Anthropological Linguistics "Linde's provocative work will stimulate sociologists to rethink how sociological analyses can benefit from the contributions of its cousin sociolinguistics and visa versa."--American Journal of Sociology "Life Stories is a richly innovative study, packed with insights into the way we use stories to create and maintain an identity over time. ...the book contains much that will interest a wide variety of readers, from linguists, narratologists, and literary theorists, to sudents of autobiography and folklore. An imaginative, stylishly written and boldly interdisciplinary study, Life Stories focuses our attention on a hitherto unexplored mode of narrative discourse, throwing new light on the interconnections between self and story."--Style "An excellent example of interdisciplinary theory and research, and a lucid introduction to the study of narrative. Linde bridges the neglected gap between rhetoric and the psychology of narrative. Really delightful."--Andrew Garrison, Miami University "Looks extremely interesting....Offers the opportunity to bridge some significant gaps in our understanding of how our self schemas really function."--Elizabeth Weiss Ozorak, Allegheny College "I have read Life Stories with much pleasure and enlightenment. It is a work that combines impressive scholarship in several academic disciplines, and an insightful perspective on popular culture. It will make a substantial contribution to several fields: linguistics, conversation analysis, discourse analysis, psychology, anthropology, and sociology--and no doubt others as well."--Robin Lakoff, University of California, Berkeley "Charlotte Linde's book provides a useful exploration of life stories' structure and their implications for larger issues."--Anthropological Linguistics "Linde's provocative work will stimulate sociologists to rethink how sociological analyses can benefit from the contributions of its cousin sociolinguistics and visa versa."--American Journal of Sociology "Life Stories is a richly innovative study, packed with insights into the way we use stories to create and maintain an identity over time. ...the book contains much that will interest a wide variety of readers, from linguists, narratologists, and literary theorists, to students of autobiography and folklore. An imaginative, stylishly written and boldly interdisciplinary study, Life Stories focuses our attention on a hitherto unexplored mode of narrative discourse, throwing new light on the interconnections between self and story."--Style