The Undertaking (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Thomas Lynch
- First Published: 1997
- Type of Work: Essays
- Time of Work: 1948-1996
- Setting: Milford, Michigan; Ireland; and London, England
- Principal Characters: Thomas Lynch, Rosemary, Nora Lynch, Henry Nugent, Stephanie, Mary Jackson Bancroft, Russ Reader, Matthew Sweeney, Dr. Jack Kevorkian
- Genres: Nonfiction, Essays
- Subjects: Suicide, Honesty, Death or dying, Abortion, Drinking or drunkenness, Funeral rites or ceremonies, Honor
- Locales: London, England, Ireland, Milford, MI
To write a book about the business and philosophical thoughts of a funeral director that is neither morbid nor sensationalist in nature is a rather challenging endeavor. To think seriously about death and what a culture does with its dead bodies is bound to raise some readers’ discomfort, especially when it is carried out with deliberation and humanistic decorum. People who expect harrowing stories of grave robbers, desecrations, or lurid, near- pornographic accounts of the details of autopsies, embalmings, and the effects of physical decay on the human body will be disappointed by...
[The entire page is 1955 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
