The Death Rituals of Rural Greece

Danforth, Loring M.

ISBN 10: 0691000271 / ISBN 13: 9780691000275

Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ, 1982

169pp + 31 black and white photographic Plates. Glossy wrappers with full front cover wrap-around black and white photo-portrait of female mourners in black; title lettering in olive with white trim at fight center front cover, author name lettering below in olive; tight spine, sharp corners. No previous owner names. Seller Inventory # 005950

Synopsis:

This compelling text and dramatic photographic essay convey the emotional power of the death rituals of a small Greek village--the funeral, the singing of laments, the distribution of food, the daily visits to the graves, and especially the rite of exhumation. These rituals help Greek villagers face the universal paradox of mourning: how can the living sustain relationships with the dead and at the same time bring them to an end, in order to continue to live meaningfully as members of a community? That is the villagers' dilemma, and our own. Thirty-one moving photographs (reproduced in duotone to do justice to their great beauty) combine with vivid descriptions of the bereaved women of "Potamia" and with the words of the funeral laments to allow the reader an unusual emotional identification with the people of rural Greece as they struggle to integrate the experience of death into their daily lives.


Loring M. Danforth's sensitive use of symbolic and structural analysis complements his discussion of the social context in which these rituals occur. He explores important themes in rural Greek life, such as the position of women, patterns of reciprocity and obligation, and the nature of social relations within the family.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Death Rituals of Rural Greece
Publisher: Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ
Publication Date: 1982
Binding: Soft cover
Illustrator: Alexander Tsiaras
Condition: Fine
Edition: 1st Edition