What have you read that infused you with the feeling of 'a beautiful death'?
or… ‘beautiful deaths’? What have you read in print media, such as fiction, poetry, plays,biographies, history, philosophy, press reports, editorials, blogs, obituaries, etc, whose essence, to you, was beautiful, in death(s). Librettos and song lyrics are excluded because of the coupling of ‘text’ with music. [...see my next question] We know that adults experience deaths/dying and write about it, but what about children and teens, in print? When/If you tearup in reading, is it cathartic or wrenching. Do you disgustingly call it a ‘sob story’ and swear to never read anything like that again? I want to read a titrated selection of the items you present; to experience anew, from your refined list, selected beautiful death(s) in print.
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Is this a homework question or do you really write like that?
I read that songs are excluded, but when I saw this question my first thought was this. Seriously, listen to it. It’s about the comedian Tommy Cooper and how he died at the end of one of his performances. People thought it was part of his skit, so they all laughed and exited. Essentially, he went out in a roar of laughter (not bad for a comedian).
I’m sure there are articles or books about this out there somewhere.
I’m not sure exactly what you’re looking for, but some of the most beautiful deaths I’ve read/seen include…
Tosca (from the opera)
Hedda Tesman (from Hedda Gabler)
Frank (from Rocky Horror)
Anne Boleyn and Thomas More (from Showtime’s The Tudors)
Harvey Milk (Sean Penn in Milk)
Kaneda (from Danny Boyle’s Sunshine)
This makes me think of 300. “what we spartans call a beautiful death” Anyways I got nothing for you worth reading.
I would say Grace & Grit: Spirituality and Healing in the Life and Death of Treya Killiam Wilber is one of the most powerful books I have read on dying; and the moment of Treya’s death is truly transcendental. It’s a biography too, and it resonates with a truth that.. well. go read it.
The other death that comes to mind is The Hours by Michael Cunningham. That one too, is luminous. Both of these books I’d happily re-read.
If you’re looking for something of less of a literary bent, Margaret Weis never fails to make me cry in her fantasy novels. I don’t know how she does it, she managed to do it at the climax of Dragonlance Legends (starts with Time of the Twins); in her Star of the Guardians series; and most recently, in the Dragonlance War of Souls series.
My response to Margaret Weis’ work is a little different from my response to Grace & Grit, or to some extent, even The Hours. It’s an epic kind of death, and you’re aware of the immensity of the characters’ sacrifice.
With all of these, I would say that you have you read the whole book or series for the death to have impact.
@Allie Fascinating ! I’ll definitely watch it over the TG holiday.
@TitsMcGhee Nice list; thanks. All new to me except for Harvey M and Rocky H
@LKidKyle1985 You’re right about “300” and too modest by far. I know it is not historically accurate but as a pseudo comic hero movie it excels as an entertaining soppy ‘watch’
@lifeflame Good combination of sources in your list ; all new to me. It is kind of interesting that ‘fictional epic’ and ‘non-fictional epic’ ‘beautiful deaths’ arouse similar feelings as one immerses ones self in them. Watching recorded performances or film, depicting ‘beautiful death(s)’ occur over a much shorter time scale and hence seem to evoke more ‘rushing’ emotion that the more thorough, slow, realistic(even in a fictional sense .. it’s real in your head) unfolding lines in a book. Good short stories or novellas should if well done, more the pace of unfolding emotions, as the movie/performance does.
The odd thing is that when the death / ending of the book is so powerful, my instinct is to re-read those pages. It’s like I don’t quite know how to deal with it, so I re-read the potent, final parts of the book as a way to let it sink in before transitioning back to the “real world”. If I watch a film in a cinema/theatre, obviously I can’t do that; I just walk a bit dazed out of the cinema or theatre; but if I watch something on DVD, I find that one of my ways of transitioning is to go watch “the making of”, or, if that’s not included, to go read some interviews about it. I don’t know if it’s a way of staying with the movie longer, or an attempt to bridge the worlds…
@lifeflame Well put. Usually, also, when I’ve read a book, I’ve engulfed, and discover later there will be a movie, I covet, anticipating the time , when I will get to see the movie. I read no reviews, etc., because I want to experience, tabula rasa(less the book reading) the visualization, the director-, and ‘selections’, the director has chosen to emphasize in the movie to take the movie, hopefully, a step forward from/into the book..hopefully beyond the book. Capote’s “In Cold Blood” , McCarthy’s “No Country for Old Men” and “The Road” , randomly chosen by me, however interestingly enough, both, rather visualizing ‘executions as beautiful deaths’ or tragedy as beautiful death(s). Different layers of color(visual and aural), and intelligently-designed depths, external to the book are , in the good movie taking everything rammed into my brain from the book, .. to other levels. Then comes the 3rd step; watching the movie at home for the 2nd time .. 3rd , maybe, with the Director’s annotations. Romantization of ‘beautiful death’ in books and films, as violent or elegant, pulls our brain apart in contradicting ways.. all vicarious senses we hopefully know nothing about in real life, . ... yet. It will happen, up close and personal, sometime, somewhere. I expect all this thought and emotion is still not sufficient preparation in the end.
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