Neither traditional religion nor modern medical procedures make sense of the personal experience of many who are dying or bereaved. In response, there has been a massive revival of interest in developing new ways of talking about death. This revival, while reinstating some traditional practices and retaining medical expertise, seeks ultimate authority elsewhere: in the individual self. The new death is personal, facilitated by palliative care, the life-centred funeral, and bereavement counselling. How, though, are people to know how to die and to grieve? Is the modern self able to make free choices here? What role do professional carers and their theories play in shaping the experiences of people who are dying or bereaved? How do such people learn from each other? To what extent are they influenced by stereotypical ideas of the good death? Is it possible for the self to be in control when the body has lost control? Can the unique personality of the deceased be incorporated into traditional funeral ritual? This is the first book comprehensively to examine the revival of death as a subject and relate it to theories of modernity and postmodernity. The book will interest not only social scientists but anyone learning to care for the dying, the dead or the bereaved.
After the death of her beloved grandfather, sixteen-year-old Caroline resists change, spending her time with an elderly grandmother or alone, until a flamboyant new girl at school draws her reluctantly...
Mrs. Hoffman was waiting for her. “Mrs. Huntington just came down these stairs and she did not look happy,” the housekeeper said, her eyes practically vibrating in her unmoving face. “What has been going on?” Variola came into view over ...
(16) Thomas Jefferson to Paul Allen These three excerpts are taken from a biographical essay of Meriwether Lewis which Thomas Jefferson was asked to provide for the publication of the Lewis and Clark Journals in 1814. Paul Allen was the ...
Jim Nichols , a computer software salesman from Greenville , S.C. , buried his younger brother Chris in Ramsey Creek after the 28 - year - old died of cancer in May . “ Chris was what you might call a hippie , and he was very conscious ...
Selected Readings in Child Development: Chapter 19. Death, dying and bereavement
Presents materials that reveal the essence of Tolstoy's beliefs on immortality, death, God, and the meaning of life.
This tautly suspenseful tale full of betrayal and unexpected plot twists is a worthy diversion.
Our narrator tells the sad tale of her marriage, marred by a husband who breaks her heart spending their money in disreputable establishments, while she, Barbara, slowly withers away.
“ Chocolate chip . My favorite kind . " Marsha poured the iced tea . " I've been meaning to ask you . Is Gabe short for Gabriel ? ” " No , it's even worse . I was named Galbraith Allen . Galbraith was my mother's maiden name . ” 67.
This is the story of Laura, Amanda and a she-otter, executed in Saki's characteristic witty and caustic style.