The Gender of Death: A Cultural History in Art and LiteratureIn this illustrated historical survey of the image of death in art and literature Karl S. Guthke assesses the significance of the various personifications of death in different ages and cultures, as male or female, enemy or lover, friend or avenger, angel or devil. Guthke shows that such images are reflections of the life and cultures that produced them, and through them he offers astonishing new insights into the nature and perception of the Western self in its cultural, intellectual, and literary context. |
What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
Contents
Why this book? | 1 |
IMAGINING THE UNIMAGINABLE DEATH PERSONIFIED Is Death a woman? | 7 |
THE MIDDLE AGES THE UNFORTUNATE FALL The wages of sin Adams sin or Eves? | 36 |
RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE THE DEVIL INCARNATE Death and the Maiden and the man | 80 |
THE ROMANTIC AGE HOW WONDERFUL IS DEATH The youth with the downturned torch The last best friend Death in the bridal chamber | 118 |
Death immortalizing life | 240 |
Notes | 245 |
Select bibliography | 273 |
Index | 278 |
Other editions - View all
The Gender of Death: A Cultural History in Art and Literature Karl S. Guthke No preview available - 1999 |
The Gender of Death: A Cultural History in Art and Literature Karl S. Guthke,Karl Siegfried Guthke No preview available - 1999 |
Common terms and phrases
Adam angel of death appears artist beautiful becomes body bridegroom called century Christ Christian classical course cultural Dance of Death dead death figure devil dressed dying earlier early English engraving erotic example eyes face familiar fear female death female death figure follow French Freund German gives grammatical gender hand holding human identified illustrations image of death imagination la mort language late less lines literature living London Maiden male means medieval Mein Kampf Middle Ages misogyny Mors Mort motif nature night original painting Paris period personification of death PLATE play poem present Press reaper reference Renaissance represented role scene Schuster scythe shape skeleton skull soul suggest takes Thanatos tion Todes Totentanz tradition Triumph true turn University visual Werke winged woman women York young youth