NARRATIVE MEDICINE AND COMPASSION: DIS(CLOSURES) IN THE HUSBAND STORY, BY LÍDIA JORGE

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the main assumptions of narrative medicine, its articulation with compassion and its applicability for the analysis of a short story – “Marido”. The article is divided into four parts. A brief introduction, which places the reader from the theoretical framework of narrative medicine and its opposition to the traditional biomedical model. Then, theoretical-practical convergences between narrative medicine and compassion will be articulated. Subsequently, the short story “Marido”, by Lígia Jorge (1997), is brought under the lens of narrative medicine and compassion. The final considerations elucidate the central place of compassion in narrative medicine, privileging the alleviation of human suffering as a primary function. It is hoped to bring the reader closer to the power of narrative medicine as an ethical and human action, and to raise insights that bring the theory closer to a unique, compassionate and careful medical practice.