The Genre of the Mood Memoir and the<i>Ethos</i>of Psychiatric Disability

Rhetoric Society Quarterly Nov 2010

The Genre of the Mood Memoir and the<i>Ethos</i>of Psychiatric Disability

Katie Rose Guest Pryal

Abstract

Recent rhetorical accounts of mental illness tend to suggest that psychiatric disability limits rhetorical participation. This article extends that research by examining how one group of the psychiatrically disabled—those diagnosed with mood disorders—is using a particular narrative genre to engender participation, what I call the mood memoir. I argue here that mood memoirs can be read as narrative-based responses to the rhetorical exclusion suffered by the psychiatrically disabled. This study employs narrative and genre theory to reveal mood memoirists’ tactics for generating ethos in the face of the stigma of mental illness.

Journal: Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Published: 2010-11-15
DOI: 10.1080/02773945.2010.516304
Open Access: Closed
Topics: disability studies argument

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (5)

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Cites in this index (1)

BERKENKOTTER (2001)

Genre Systems at Work

Written Communication

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