
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
History is dominated by A-list deaths: queens beheaded; archdukes assassinated. But what about everyone else? How did ordinary people depart this life and grieve for loved ones - and which of the old ways might help us prepare for the end?
Our ancestors, living closer to death than we do, had a more intimate and integrated relationship with death as a familiar presence in daily life. From the death-watchers of the Middle Ages to the pomp of Victorian funeral wear, by way of plague pits, grave-robberies and wakes, historian and bereavement counsellor Molly Conisbee explores how cycles of dying, death and disposal have shaped - and been shaped by - society. She examines, through the prism of past deaths, their interweaving with our beliefs and politics, our most fervent hopes and deepest fears and, ultimately, what it means to 'die well'.
A groundbreaking new work of social history, No Ordinary Deaths paints a rich picture of the lives of our forebears, skilfully bringing the lost art of death to life today.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Watch
- 2. Body and Soul
- 3. Disembodied
- 4. Criminal
- 5. Gwylnos/Wake
- 6. Funeral
- 7. Queerly Beloved
- 8. Memorial
- 9. Mourning
- 10. Grief
- 11. Afterlife
- Epilogue: Last Words
- Acknowledgements
- List of Illustrations
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index