Life Stories: The Creation of Coherence (Oxford Studies in Sociolinguistics)

This is a sociolinguistic study of how people create and exchange coherent oral life stories. Linde claims such stories serve a number of psychological and social purposes, including the development and expression of a sense of self and the solidification and definition of relationships and group memberships. She focuses on different coherence systems, including 'common sense' and its peculiarly American nature.