Western Attitudes toward Death: From the Middle Ages to the Present (The Johns Hopkins Symposia in Comparative History)

A fantastic read - both brief and accessible as well as informative and challenging. Phillipe Aries' seminal study of how the treatment of death and dying has changed dramatically in Western Civilization should provoke the reader to think about death as more than something to be avoided, but something to be anticipated.In American culture obsessed with youth, death has been shoved into the closet to be peeked at only when absolutely necessary. We deny our own mortality, hiding our advancing years with surgeries and fad diets and fashion and promiscuity. Effectively, we are completely un-equipped to handle death, whether someone else's or our own. We not only don't wish to think about it, we can't. It's hidden, and we are supposed to deny ourselves even the visible grief which a true loss of any kind merits. We are often expected to be more emotional about a damaged vehicle or a bad meal or a rude person in traffic than we are when dealing with the death of a loved one.Read and learn. Read and re-evaluate the wisdom of such intentional ignorance, and what you might wish to do differently for yourself and for those around you whenever the time comes to shuffle off this mortal coil.

This book is a classic, and it has all the merit to be one. The author did a very thorough study of how death was understood for most of history starting from earlier than the middle ages, and presents customs and points of view that one wouldn't expect of western civilization, human beings or the catholic church. Where, how and why cemeteries were built, how people thought and acted upon deathbeds and the more recent attitude towards death and its relation to hospitals are some beautiful discoveries that the author provides clearly, without pushing any of the issues at all, but definitely convincing(at least me).

I feel that the book is too short. In the noble attempt to give a short overview, the author touches much but leaves us feeling less informed at the conclusion than before we knew about the book's existence. Some of the criticism might be attached to the translation, so I cannot hold the author exclusively responsible.I might be inclined to read the author's larger work on the subject in order to get more in-depth and actually understand what he's trying to say. But I fear that at the end I would be left with the same unanswered questions which would just frustrate me.

Wow. This is one of those books I bought because the title sounded interesting and it's now taken up permanent space on the bookshelf nearest to my desk. A series of 4 lectures from 1973, there is a VAST amount of information and ideas contained in this tiny book.

Read this for a college class. Interesting look at the history of how the western culture viewed dying and the culture around death.

Excellent book, rich in history and social facts. Should be a required reading for all interested in knowing more on the topic of dying.

A good description of the ideals of death throughout the centuries. It highlights all the beliefs that people held about death.

A lot of the claims of this book have been superseded by more recent research on managing the final moments of life. I'd recommend Allan Kellehear, Atul Gawande and Joan Lynn. In terms of the medieval material, I'd encourage more specialized treatments, such as Amy Appleford's recent study on the Art of Dying. Ashby Kinch's study of the "Imago mortis" is also good (albeit specialized).

Excellent analysis of our attitudes and reactions towards death. A good read, for those interested in the theme. I highly recommend it.

Inspiring.