Compelling Confessions is a collection of essays whose shared purpose
is to offer an accessible interdisciplinary exploration of the social
dynamics behind confessional discourse. As the contributors to this
volume demonstrate, confession is ubiquitous in contemporary culture,
not only within psychological or therapeutic frameworks or literary
analysis, but also in internet discussion groups, in the criminal
justice system, in political rhetoric, in so-called "reality" and
interview-style television programming, in writing pedagogy and,
increasingly, in the testimonial strain observable in contemporary
scholarship.