work of the dead, The
Book Description
When the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes declared that his corpse should be thrown to wild animals after death, he posed a question that has echoed through millennia: why do the living care so deeply about the dead? Cultural historian Thomas Laqueur explores this profound mystery in a sweeping examination of humanity's universal devotion to honoring mortal remains.
Across every culture and era, humans have rejected indifference toward the deceased, creating elaborate rituals and sacred spaces that reveal our deepest spiritual needs. Drawing from an extraordinary range of sources including archaeological discoveries, medical writings, literature, art, and landscapes, Laqueur uncovers how caring for the dead actually serves the living by forging connections between past and future generations.
This comprehensive journey traces the evolution of burial practices from ancient times through the twentieth century, revealing how churchyards gave way to modern cemeteries and why anonymous death has become a source of profound disturbance. The author examines our modern compulsion to preserve names on memorials and lists, and explores how even cremation, originally conceived as a way to strip death of its historical weight, ultimately failed to sever our bonds with the departed.
Through this lens, readers discover how death rituals reflect our deepest spiritual longings for continuity, meaning, and community. This exploration offers valuable insights for anyone seeking to understand the sacred dimensions of mortality and the ways our relationship with death shapes our understanding of life itself.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Long (> 400 pages) (~20 hours)
📄 Length: 711 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore SOCIAL SCIENCE
- ✓ Explore Funeral rites and ceremonies
- ✓ Explore Cultural
- ✓ Explore General
- ✓ Explore Bestattungsritus
- ✓ Explore Kulturanthropologie
- ✓ Understand death from spiritual perspective
- ✓ Explore Brauchtum
