Cultural History of Death in the Renaissance

The movement from the Renaissance to the early modern period may have been one of the most tumultuous times in the history of the western world. Everything, sacred and profane, was up for grabs which meant attitudes and behaviors around death underwent a profound change. This book examines the period between 1450 and 1650, encompassing the Reformation and the Renaissance and the significant changes in theology, philosophy, and culture, as long-held scientific, moral, and philosophical presumptions were beginning to be questioned and scrutinized. Contributors to the volume explore how the conflicting ideas brought about by figures such as Martin Luther and Galileo, inventions such as the printing press, and the changing tides of religion and spiritual ideals of ‘the good death’ contributed to an evolving sense of what dying and death meant to people at the time.

Drawing upon a wealth of visual and textual sources, this volume presents essays that examine key tenets of death; Dead and Dying Bodes; The Sensory Aesthetics of Death; Emotions, Mortality and Vitality; Death’s Ritual-Symbolic Performance; Sites, Power and the Politics of Death; Gender, Age and Identity; Belief, Law and Ethics and the Undead and Eternal.

A Cultural History of Death is part of The Cultural Histories Series. Titles are available as hardcover sets for libraries needing just one subject or preferring a tangible reference for their shelves or as part of a fully-searchable digital library. The digital product is available to institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access via www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com. Individual volumes for academics and researchers interested in specific historical periods are also available in print or digitally via www.bloomsburycollections.com.