Death's Summer Coat: What the History of Death and Dying Teaches Us About Life and Living

In the tradition of __Being Mortal__, Brandy Schillace looks at what we can learn from the incredibly diverse ways in which humans have dealt with mortality in different times and places Death is something we all confront—it touches our families, our homes, our hearts. And yet we have grown used to denying its existence, treating it as an enemy to be beaten back with medical advances. We are living at a unique point in human history. People are living longer than ever, yet the longer we live, the more taboo and alien our mortality becomes. Yet we, and our loved ones, still remain mortal. People today still struggle with this fact, as we have done throughout our entire history. What led us to this point? What drove us to sanitize death and make it foreign and unfamiliar? Schillace shows how talking about death, and the rituals associated with it, can help provide answers. It also brings us closer together—conversation and community are just as important for... We are living in a unique point in human history. People are living longer than ever, yet the longer we live, the more taboo and alien our mortality becomes. Yet we, and our loved ones, still remain mortal. People today still struggle with this fact, as we have done throughout our entire history. What led us to this pointwhat drove us to sanitize death and make it foreign and unfamiliar? In Death's Summer Coat Brandy Schillace explores our past to examine what it might mean for our future. From Victorian Britain to contemporary Cambodia, forgotten customs and modern-day rituals, we learn about the incredibly diverseand sometimes just incredibleways in which humans have dealt with mortality in different times and places. Today, as we begin to talk about mortality, there are difficult questions to face. What does it mean to have a "good death?" What purpose should a funeral serve? As Schillace shows, talking about death, and the rituals associated with it, can help provide answers. It also brings us closer togetherconversation and community are just as important for living as for dying. Some of the stories are strikingly unfamiliar; others are far more familiar than you might suppose. But all reveal much about the presentand about ourselves. "Death is the one subject we will all confront; it touches our families, our homes, our hearts. And yet we have grown used to denying its existence, treating it as an enemy to be beaten back with medical advances. What led us to this point what drove us to sanitize death and make it foreign and unfamiliar? In Death's Summer Coat Brandy Schillace explores our past to examine what it might mean for our future. From Victorian Britain to contemporary Cambodia, forgotten customs and modern-day rituals, we learn about the incredibly diverse and sometimes just incredible ways in which humans have dealt with mortality in different times and places. Today, as we begin to talk about mortality, there are difficult questions to face. What does it mean to have a 'good death'? What should a funeral do? As Schillace shows, talking about death and the rituals associated with it can help to provide answers. It also brings us closer together. And conversation and community are just as important for living as for dying. Some of the stories are strikingly unfamiliar; others are far more familiar than you might suppose. But all reveal a lot about the present and about ourselves. It's time to meet the new (old) death"--Provided by publisher Consideration of death and dying is back in the public forum. People are sipping tea at Death Cafes, attending Death Salons and visiting exhibitions such as Death: A Self-Portrait at the Wellcome Collection. Death's Summer Coat addresses this surge of interest by providing a compelling crossover narrative: of interest to a general audience but also to those who are grieving. How can we approach death in a culture dead-set against talking about mortality? Written with humour and humanity, this is an informed and up-to-date work that uses personal narrative and photography, science, history and literature to explore the incredibly diverse - and sometimes just incredible - ways in which humans have dealt with mortality in different times and places. Topics include: how we conceive of death; death and the departed across the globe; the language of death and why it matters; the Victorians; medical science and preservation; death and medical care; and modern-day rituals. Some of the stories are strikingly unfamiliar; others are far more familiar than you might suppose. But all reveal a lot about the present - and about ourselves Death is something we all confront—it touches our families, our homes, our hearts. And yet we have grown used to denying its existence, treating it as an enemy to be beaten back with medical advances.We are living at a unique point in human history. People are living longer than ever, yet the longer we live, the more taboo and alien our mortality becomes. Yet we, and our loved ones, still remain mortal. People today still struggle with this fact, as we have done throughout our entire history. What led us to this point? What drove us to sanitize death and make it foreign and unfamiliar?Schillace shows how talking about death, and the rituals associated with it, can help provide answers. It also brings us closer together—conversation and community are just as important for living as for dying. Some of the stories are strikingly unfamiliar; others are far more familiar than you might suppose. But all reveal much about the present—and about ourselves. A Doctor Combines Her Profession Along With Her Love Of Literature And History In A Scholarly Work That Examines How Humans Have Dealt With Death And Mortality Throughout Time And Through Changing Cultures. Dead And Knowing It -- Eat Your Dead (and Other Advice) -- Through A Glass, Darkly -- Dying Victorian: Memento Mori, Hair Jewellery And Crape -- Death At The Anatomy Theatre -- Death And The Doctor -- Death Comes To Dinner. Brandy Schillace. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 239-258) And Index. A perceptive, thoughtful and very timely reflection on our culture of mortality and mourning