1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910790433103321

Autore

Draaisma D

Titolo

The nostalgia factory : memory, time and ageing / / by Douwe Draaisma ; translated by Liz Waters

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New Haven : , : Yale University Press, , [2013]

©2013

ISBN

0-300-20539-2

0-300-19852-3

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (176 p.)

Altri autori (Persone)

WatersLiz

Disciplina

155.67/1312

Soggetti

Reminiscing in old age

Reminiscing

Autobiographical memory

Memory - Age factors

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Translation of the author's De heimweefabriek :  geheugen, tijd & ouderdom.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Preface -- CHAPTER ONE. The longest stage -- CHAPTER TWO. Forgetful -- CHAPTER THREE. The forgetfulness market -- CHAPTER FOUR. Reminiscences -- CHAPTER FIVE. The joy of calling up memories -- CHAPTER SIX. The good son: A conversation with Oliver Sacks -- CHAPTER SEVEN. Wisdom in hindsight -- CHAPTER EIGHT. The nostalgia factory -- Notes -- Acknowledgments -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

You cannot call to mind the name of a man you have known for 30 years. You walk into a room and forget what you came for. What is the name of that famous film you’ve watched so many times? These are common experiences, and as we grow older we tend to worry about these lapses. Is our memory failing? Is it dementia?   Douwe Draaisma, a renowned memory specialist, here focuses on memory in later life. Writing with eloquence and humor, he explains neurological phenomena without becoming lost in specialist terminology. His book is reminiscent of Oliver Sacks’s work, and not coincidentally this volume includes a long interview with Sacks, who speaks of his own



memory changes as he entered his sixties. Draaisma moves smoothly from anecdote to research and back, weaving stories and science into a compelling description of the terrain of memory. He brings to light the “reminiscence effect,” just one of the unexpected pleasures of an aging memory.   The author writes reassuringly about forgetfulness and satisfyingly dismantles the stubborn myth that mental gymnastics can improve memory. He presents a convincing case in favor of the aging mind and urges us to value the nostalgia that survives as recollection, appreciate the intangible nature of past events, and take pleasure in the consolation of razor-sharp reminiscing.