Context Is Everything: The Nature of Memory [Paperback]

Susan Engel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2000

What are the defining characteristics of memory? What determines what is remembered and how much it is emphasized? In Context Is Everything, Susan Engel explores how the place, company, purpose, and situation--the context of the recollection--profoundly affects the essence and experience of a memory.

Beginning with memory's most intimate setting--an exchange between a mother and a small child--Engel explores memory's function in such varied circumstances as a trial, a therapy session, the construction of our public persona, and the formulation of an autobiography. Blending vivid anecdotes with the startling findings of memory research, Engel examines the implications of context and purpose for memory, including one's motivation to remember and the strength or quality of the memory itself. She traces the trajectory of a memory from the moment of conception in the mind, through its social realization, and back to the owner, settling in his or her repertoire of the past. And she looks at memory as fodder for history--what is the basis for what we know and pass on?

Beautifully written and filled with fresh insights on such contested issues as recovered memory and remembered testimony, Context Is Everything is both an informative and engaging read.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Drawing from the field of memory research, from literature and history, and from personal experience, Engel (psychology, Williams Coll.) explores the accuracy of memory in different settings. Her goal is "to draw lines of personal recollection and the social transactions that shape so much of our everyday uses of memory." In the context of a courtroom, for example, the recounting of a past incident is much different from its recollection during therapy or when confiding to a close friend. Depending on the context, details are remembered, forgotten, or amended. An unfavorable memory may be reconstructed to restore one's self-image or to add humor to an autobiography. Engel also shows how one person's recollection may influence and shape the way others remember "fact." While not attempting to be comprehensive, this intriguing survey highlights some of the ways in which private and informal memories intersect with public and formal versions of the past. Recommended for general readers.AIlse Heidmann, San Marcos, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Context Is Everything is a fascinating, in-depth look at the mysterious workings of memory, the kind of thing Proust might have tried his hand at if he were less the novelist, more the essayist. It's a tribute to the author's insight that the comparison is not far-fetched--she's after the vital madeleine that brings back the secrets of the past, a quest that is stimulating throughout."
--W. D. Wetherell, author of North of Now: A Celebration of Country and the Soon to Be Gone

"For me, the most important story this book tells is the way remembering--memory--is dependent on a past others know too; it is the "fact" literature reveals: how many stories are necessary to tell one story."
--Grace Paley

"Context Is Everything is an innovative look at one of the most important tasks of the human mind: remembering the past. Susan Engel teaches rich lessons about our urge to connect through this process and about the ways that we negotiate a shared past. Most of all, she deftly reveals how memory never really stands alone. If there were only time to read a single book to help us appreciate who we are, this is that book."
--Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D., author of The Myth of Repressed Memory

"Context Is Everything shows how memory, though born within the individual mind, takes on its particular shapes and truths through particular social contexts and through its intermingling with the memories and proclivities of others. In reading and re-reading her astute comparison of the kind of memory demanded in court trials and that which is considered necessary in the interchange between patient and therapist, I was entranced by her insight."
--James McConkey, author of Court of Memory and editor of The Anatomy of Memory

"Susan Engel has written a graceful meditation on the nature of autobiographical narrative and the development of memory. Rich with insight into the personal meanings and social functions of remembering, Context Is Everything explores and illuminates some of the most fundamental aspects of human experience."
--Daniel L. Schacter, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, author of Searching for Memory: The Brain, The Mind, and The Past

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: W. H. Freeman (April 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716739658
• ISBN-13: 978-0716739654
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,210,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To understand memory is to understand yourself, February 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Context is Everything: The Nature of Memory (Hardcover)

Fascinating summary of the most current thinking about the nature of memory; written in a highly readable, literary, non-technical style. Contains not even one chart, graph nor table. Not only will you get the tools to help you understand the memories of others, you will probably gain insight into what your oldest, strongest, and most charged memories mean to you. I came away from this book with a greater understanding of why conflicts occur when people recall the same event. Understanding that will lead me into being more tolerant and accepting of people who view the world differently than I do. I have also learned to question the "truth" of my own memories and to look for the reasons I remember things the way I do.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To understand memory is to understand yourself, February 15, 2000

By 

"calaphon" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Context is Everything: The Nature of Memory (Hardcover)

Fascinating summary of the most current thinking about the nature of memory; written in a highly readable, literary, non-technical style. Contains not even one chart, graph or table. Not only will you get the tools to understand the memories of others, you will probably gain insight into what your oldest, strongest, and most charged memories mean to you. I came away from this book with a greater understanding of why conflicts occur when people recall the same event. Understanding that will lead me into being more tolerant and accepting of people who view the world differently than I do. I have also learned to question the "truth" of my own memories and to look for the reasons I remember things the way I do.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is wonderful., April 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Context is Everything: The Nature of Memory (Hardcover)

This book, while being academic and full of interesting psycholigcal ideas is easy to understand and read. It makes you think about your point of view and he way you reflect on the past. If uo are at all interested in memory at all, psychologist or house wife you should read this.