In considering Richard Hoggart's three-volume autobiography, Melissa Gregg (Reference Gregg2003) wrote of his ‘discourse of empathy’. She used this term to illustrate Hoggart's continual seeking of the ways by which readers will identify with him and so reveal shared concerns and values. In her article, Gregg pointed to the ways in which in his writing Hoggart spans class divides; not underplaying their substance or power but suggesting that there may be overarching shared cultural experiences. Hoggart's thoughts in old age provide a further opportunity to consider this ‘discourse of empathy’ in action, but here it is age that Hoggart employs as a prism through which to contemplate culture and history. He asks, ‘How do I or we see children?’ and ‘How do they or you see me or us?’ Hoggart seems slightly surprised but also delighted by his old age, and he explores many of the hidden aspects of later life that are represented more often in popular than academic writing. These include his depictions of bodily or physical changes, but deeper taboos are tackled, notably the possession of money and attitudes to it that he recognises in himself and his circle. How does a man brought up with ideas of thrift, economy and nearness to poverty manage a modern social world in which money is not a pervasive problem, and material comfort well describes his position?

For gerontologists this book bridges oral history and cultural studies. Hoggart's accounts are rich in detail and in personal leaps of imagination, doubts and tremors. He paints a picture of a world at times overshadowed by fear of the Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, but also of the fears and apprehension of moving and the loss of place. This is a risky society. Acting in your own best interests is something that just seems hard to do and individuality seems to intersect with independence. Cultural patterns are never far from Hoggart's curiosity. Why, he wonders, does the rhythm of the week still seem to be dominated by a weekend – when its props of work do not apply – and external reminders, such as shop closures for the fulfilment of personal and religious obligations in evenings and on Sundays apply less and less? Such domestic musings are accompanied by numerous short quotations from imaginative writing. These are used variously: as hooks on which to hang a discussion or to change subject, to sum up a point of view, for sheer interest, and as ways to support the author's own leanings. Readers may be struck by the breadth of reading that is deftly cited, for this literary convention has faded in the current vogue for personal disclosures and biographies. The Uses of Literacy, Hoggart's (Reference Hoggart1957) most celebrated book, are put on display through such illustrations. His genuine fondness for Auden I found most evident, whose writing provides the title for this book. This is a reflective book, with a conversational style, which made me think about the ‘discourse of empathy’ and the potential contribution of cultural studies to enlarge gerontology's disciplinary foundations.