The idea of death is accompanied not only by the way someone makes a loss, but it is also a theme in which the meaning is not present, which makes it responsible for the fear and denial suffered by many subjects. This phenomenon, which is inescapable to man, is capable of delineating crossings and connections between different areas of knowledge, thus enabling interesting and pertinent reflections. But death is not restricted simply to a conception of the body's end of life, but it is related to a psychic and social end.
But death can lead us to other reflections beyond what we commonly face. That is, it launches us to being sure there it will eventually come, without knowing much where it comes from, or where it leads us. Thinking about this, our research is divided into three moments that carry with them their singularities, but at the same time, their approximations, enabling dialogue between different fields of knowledge, but always having literature as a main guide.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Brief historical and aesthetical portraits of the death's parade
3. Literary inscriptions of death in History
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Themes
This work aims to explore the multifaceted representation of death across historical, cultural, and literary contexts, analyzing how human societies have perceived, resisted, and aestheticized the end of life from antiquity to the post-World War II era. By utilizing psychoanalytical theory and literature as a primary guide, the research examines the evolution of the cultural understanding of finitude and the shift in humanity's relationship with mortality.
- The historical and cultural evolution of funeral rites and the notion of death.
- The representation of death in canonical Western epics and literature.
- The impact of post-war events on cultural identity and the decline of Eurocentric perspectives.
- Psychoanalytical approaches to understanding human behavior, mourning, and melancholy.
- The aesthetic portrayal of death in art, literature, and cinema as a means of processing the unthinkable.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Literary inscriptions of death in History
Like every social and cultural element, death also has its history. Since the first civilizations, it has been questioned, thought, represented, and worshiped. The transformations in the conception of the living ones in relation to the theme of the end of life, leads us to a reflection that takes place historically intended, so that it is necessary to privilege the changes, diseases, wars, religion, literature and some thoughts that were present and that marked each period, so that the notion of death, in each time, is rescued in an approximate clearway.
The relations that can be glimpsed between the history of the Western world and literature provide us with a starting point for reflection; the latter prioritizing their aesthetics, while the former presents its ways of delineate a period, which make them singular, but no less distant. History and literature preserve a memory and help in the construction of the identity of a people, for example. With this, we took a look at the way in which individuals integrated, assimilated and established a relationship with death, through the cultural artifact of writing.
Historically situated before the biblical texts and of Homer and Hesiod texts, the poem that narrates one of the versions of the myth of Gilgámesh has become an oldest fragment dating back to the year 2100 BC. He who saw the abyss has authorship attributed to Sin-léqi-unnínni (century 13th century BC) and presents us with the Acadian epic tradition in narrating the adventures, heroic deeds and existential experiences of the fifth king of Uruk, Gilgámesh, who had brought him to understand the limits imposed by human nature itself, until it is for someone like him, two-thirds divine and a third human. At one point in the poem, the goddess Arúru creates, from clay, the one who would assimilate to a primitive man, named Enkidú, and who should be up to the king of Uruk in order to retain his tyranny. However, after a battle, they come to become great companions.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the universal human fascination and distress regarding death, tracing its evolution from prehistoric awareness to modern mourning and denial.
2. Brief historical and aesthetical portraits of the death's parade: The chapter outlines the methodology of the research, focusing on a historically situated study of death across various cultures and the aesthetic representations that frame mortality.
3. Literary inscriptions of death in History: This section analyzes how death is depicted in classical literature, starting from the Gilgámesh epic, through Homeric works, to Dante and Shakespeare, highlighting the shift in human attitudes toward finitude.
4. Conclusion: The conclusion discusses the shift in global cultural perspectives post-World War II, moving away from Eurocentric ideals to a more critical understanding of history and human cruelty.
5. Bibliography: This chapter lists the academic and literary sources utilized to support the research arguments.
Keywords
Death, Literature, History, Culture, Psychoanalysis, Finitude, Mourning, Gilgámesh, Homer, Western Canon, Post-War, Necropolitics, Aesthetics, Human Existence, Identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
This work explores how the concept of death has been interpreted and represented through literature and culture across different historical eras.
What are the central thematic fields?
The central themes include the intersection of literature and history, the evolution of death rituals, the influence of psychoanalytical theory, and the shift in cultural perceptions of human finitude.
What is the core research goal?
The goal is to understand how human societies construct meaning around death and how this understanding is reflected in literary narratives and cultural practices.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The research employs a qualitative analysis, utilizing a historical and chronological approach to literature, supported by Freudian psychoanalytical theory to interpret human behaviors and societal attitudes.
What is covered in the main body?
The main body examines canonical texts from the epic of Gilgámesh and Homer, moves through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and ends with reflections on 20th-century history and the impact of the World Wars.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include Death, Literature, Culture, Psychoanalysis, Finitude, Mourning, and historical narratives.
How does the author relate the Gilgámesh epic to the broader study?
The author uses the Gilgámesh epic to establish the earliest literary efforts of humanity to grapple with the reality of mortality and the limits of human existence.
What role does the post-war period play in the conclusion?
The post-war period serves as a turning point where the failures of Eurocentric and modern man models are exposed, prompting a search for new, non-Eurocentric local identities.
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- Letícia Schuler (Autor:in), 2020, Aesthetical and historical portraits of a brief death's parade. How is death thought about?, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/946203
