@article{ART003345847},
author={Woojong Moon},
title={The Subjective World and Narrative Identity: A Narrative Analysis of People with Dementia in Literature and Film},
journal={Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University},
issn={1598-3021},
year={2026},
volume={83},
number={2},
pages={415-440}
TY - JOUR
AU - Woojong Moon
TI - The Subjective World and Narrative Identity: A Narrative Analysis of People with Dementia in Literature and Film
JO - Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University
PY - 2026
VL - 83
IS - 2
PB - Institute of Humanities, Seoul National University
SP - 415
EP - 440
SN - 1598-3021
AB - This study explores the emotional, mnemonic, and identity-related changes experienced by individuals with dementia from their subjective perspectives by analyzing narrative contents that represent their experiences. To this end, a narrative analysis was conducted on selected works based on reallife cases and memoirs, including the webtoon Don’t Forget Me, Even As I Fade Away (2016), the essay Dung Flower (2008), the novel A Long Goodbye (2020), and the films Still Alice (2014) and The Father (2020). The analysis reveals that the subjective world of people with dementia converges around several core themes: regression to the past, continuity of emotional memory, distortion of spatial and interpersonal perception, longing for home as a fundamental place, and the dissolution of the self and the struggle to maintain it. These findings demonstrate that even amidst cognitive loss, individuals with dementia remain “struggling subjects” who continuously create meaning and attempt social interaction through emotional relationships.
Based on these results, this study proposes that dementia care must move beyond technical management or cognitive correction toward relationship-centered care that resonates with patients’ sensory and emotional realities. By reframing people with dementia as narrative subjects striving to live out their lives to the end, this study discovers the meaning of existence even in the process of extreme loss and provides a practical foundation for rethinking the ethics of care based on emotional solidarity.
KW - Dementia Narrative;Narrative Analysis;Subjective World; Narrative Identity;Ethics of Care
DO -
UR -
ER -
Woojong Moon. (2026). The Subjective World and Narrative Identity: A Narrative Analysis of People with Dementia in Literature and Film. Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University, 83(2), 415-440.
Woojong Moon. 2026, "The Subjective World and Narrative Identity: A Narrative Analysis of People with Dementia in Literature and Film", Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University, vol.83, no.2 pp.415-440.
Woojong Moon "The Subjective World and Narrative Identity: A Narrative Analysis of People with Dementia in Literature and Film" Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University 83.2 pp.415-440 (2026) : 415.
Woojong Moon. The Subjective World and Narrative Identity: A Narrative Analysis of People with Dementia in Literature and Film. 2026; 83(2), 415-440.
Woojong Moon. "The Subjective World and Narrative Identity: A Narrative Analysis of People with Dementia in Literature and Film" Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University 83, no.2 (2026) : 415-440.
Woojong Moon. The Subjective World and Narrative Identity: A Narrative Analysis of People with Dementia in Literature and Film. Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University, 83(2), 415-440.
Woojong Moon. The Subjective World and Narrative Identity: A Narrative Analysis of People with Dementia in Literature and Film. Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University. 2026; 83(2) 415-440.
Woojong Moon. The Subjective World and Narrative Identity: A Narrative Analysis of People with Dementia in Literature and Film. 2026; 83(2), 415-440.
Woojong Moon. "The Subjective World and Narrative Identity: A Narrative Analysis of People with Dementia in Literature and Film" Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University 83, no.2 (2026) : 415-440.
