Epitaph Culture in the West Variations on a Theme in Cultural History

This book examines a number of facets of Western epitaph culture since antiquity, with particular emphasis on post-medieval developments in the major European countries as well as in North America. Various epitaphic "sub-cultures" are analyzed, among them the time-honored custom of composing one's own tomb inscription as well as the ancient and modern convention of honoring animals with epitaphs. It also examines epitaph-collecting, epitaph "lies," humorous epitaphs, and the change in social and religious attitudes toward suicides. The book concludes with a cultural and intellectual history of epitaphs. An epilogue addresses the question of the supposed disappearance of epitaph culture at the present time.

Author: Karl S. Guthke
Publisher: Em Texts
Published: 01/01/2003
Pages: 430
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.38lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.96d
ISBN: 9780773408470