The Psychology of Death in Fantasy and History

This volume investigates the impact of death consideration on such phenomena as Buddhist cosmology, the poetry of Rilke, cults and apocalyptic dreams, Japanese mythology, creativity, and even psychotherapy. Death is seen as a critical motivation for the genesis of artistic creations and monuments, of belief systems, fantasies, delusions and numerous pathological syndromes. Culture itself may be understood as the innumerable ways that societies defend themselves against helplessness and annihilation, how they mould and recreate the world in accordance with their wishes and anxieties, the social mechanisms employed to deny annihilation and death. Whether one speaks of the construction of massive burial tombs, magical transformations of death into eternal life, afterlives or resurrections, the need to cope with death and deny its terror and effect are the sine qua non of religion, culture, ideology, and belief systems in general. Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction: Approaching Death......Page 12 1 Death, Fantasy, and the Politics of Self-Destruction......Page 24 2 Buddhism, Death, and the Feminine......Page 48 3 Uncanny Dolls: Images of Death in Rilke and Freud......Page 82 4 Death, Fantasy, and Religious Transformations......Page 98 5 Europe's Culture of Death......Page 130 6 Creativity and Death in Psychoanalysis......Page 148 7 The Idol and the Idolizers: Ernest Becker's Theory of Expanded Transference as a Tool for Historical Criticism and Interpretation with an Addendum on Transference and Terrorism......Page 174 8 Thoughts for the Times on Terrorism, War, and Death......Page 188 9 Love, Separation, and Death in a Japanese Myth......Page 214 10 Fundamentalism, Defilement, and Death......Page 230 11 Death, Neurosis, and Normalcy: On the Ubiquity of Personal and Social Delusions......Page 256 12 Unveiling Mexican Cultural Essences: Death and Spirituality......Page 278 13 Adaptive Insights into Death Anxiety......Page 286 14 Laughing at Death......Page 302 A......Page 322 C......Page 323 D......Page 324 F......Page 325 I......Page 326 M......Page 327 P......Page 328 S......Page 329 T......Page 330 Z......Page 331 About the Editor and Contributors......Page 332 Introduction: Approaching Death / Jerry S. Piven -- Death, Fantasy, And The Politics Of Self-destruction / Siamak Movahedi -- Buddhism, Death, And The Feminine / Jerry S. Piven -- Uncanny Dolls: Images Of Death In Rilke And Freud / Eva-maria Simms -- Death, Fantasy, And Religious Transformations / Benjamin Beit-hallahmi -- Europe's Culture Of Death / Rudolph Binion -- Creativity And Death In Psychoanalysis / Hans-jurgen Wirth -- The Idol And The Idolizers: Ernest Becker's Theory Of Expanded Transference As A Tool For Historical Criticism And Interpretation With An Addendum On Transference And Terrorism / Daniel Liechty -- Thoughts For The Times On Terrorism, War, And Death / Hans-jurgen Wirth -- Love, Separation, And Death In A Japanese Myth / Yuko Katsuta -- Fundamentalism, Defilement, And Death / George Victor -- Death, Neurosis, And Normalcy: On The Ubiquity Of Personal And Social Delusions / Jerry S. Piven -- Unveiling Mexican Cultural Essences: Death And Spirituality / Luz Maria Solloa Garcia -- Adaptive Insights Into Death Anxiety / Robert Langs -- Laughing At Death / Neil J. Elgee. Edited By Jerry S. Piven. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Jacques Lacan's (1966/1977) notion of the pleasures of death, no matter how macabre it may strike us at first glance, is a profound statement on the symbolic nature of the human body and its destruction or death.