This collection consists of eight essays that examine the way narratives determine our understanding of old age and condition how the experience is lived. Contributors to this volume have based their analysis on the concept of 'narrative identity' developed by Paul Ricoeur, built upon the idea that fiction makes life, and on his definition of 'trace' as the mark of time. By investigating the traces of aging imprinted in a series of literary and filmic works they dismantle the narrative of old age as decline and foreclosure to assemble one of transformation and growth.

Marta Cerezo Moreno teaches English Literature at the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Spain. Nieves Pascual Soler teaches American literature at the University of Jaén, Spain.