The Final Curtain

State Funerals and the Theatre of Power
Erscheinungsjahr 1999
ISBN: 978-90-420-0568-6
Verlag: Brill | Rodopi

Buch, Englisch, Band 24, 252 Seiten, Format (B × H): 150 mm x 220 mm, Gewicht: 517 g

Reihe: Textxet: Studies in Comparative Literature

Death is the one subject about which our culture is still reticent. Consequently many ceremonies about death are not examined in an open, enquiring and direct way. The state funeral, that large, public, ritualized statement about death is accepted in our society, while its deeper significances remain unexamined because it is seen as something of an historical curiosity, a survival from an earlier age associated with the traditions of that society. This well-illustrated study of a number of state funerals - of the Medicis and the Habsburgs in the Renaissance, of the Duke of Albemarle in the seventeenth century, of the Duke of Wellington and Abraham Lincoln in the nineteenth century, and of President Kennedy and Diana, Princess of Wales in the twentieth century - and the mythical structures and traditions they represent, examines two aspects in particular: the strongly political undertones of the public statements, and the theatrical elements of the public ritual.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Garlick, Harry

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Illustrations
Prologue
1 About Myth
2 The Medici Esequie: Political Théâtre Macabre
3 Waiting in the Wings: The Impenetrable Duke of Albemarle
4 Journey's End: The Duke of Wellington's Funeral as Public Performance
5 Uncle Sam's Dead! Democratic Ritual, Tragic Myth, National Catharsis: The State Funeral of Abraham Lincoln
6 Ritual of Atonement as Media Event: The State Funeral of John Fitzgerald Kennedy
7 The Apotheosis of the Queen of Hearts
Epilogue
Appendix: Candles and their Standards in the Esequie Performances
Bibliography
Index