The exploration of the concept of death in literature is an enormous endeavor. Perdigao (English, Florida Institute of Technology) and Pizzato (theater, University of North Carolina, Charlotte)
have narrowed the subject to representations of death in twentieth century American novels, stories, plays, film and television. The book is in three sections: the corpse, ghosts, and
reanimation of the dead. The contributors approach the subject from many points of view. Death can be actual or a metaphor. Several essays discuss authors from a multicultural background, such
as Samantha Chang and Luis Valdez. Others revisit venerable American authors like Robert Lowell and Thorton Wilder. While death and remembrance are the topics, the overarching theme is
survival, both for the dead and those who remain. The chosen texts allow the authors to explore their own concerns about how society understands death in the twenty-first century. Annotation
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