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This paper addresses the debate around Walter's (1996) biographical model of grief. It discusses McLaren's (1998) criticisms of Walter and argues, contrary to McLaren, that bereavement counselling is unavoidably directive, that very important sections of it still emphasize emotion work and that it effects a separation of emotions, relationships and stories. The paper goes on to suggest that Walter's notion of biography needs to be expanded to emphasize how the discourses of the bereaved speak of the bereaved as much as the deceased, and how these are creative achievements of 'emplottment' and characterization that shape and reflect the emotions of the bereaved and their relationship with the deceased. It suggests that we talk of the stories of the bereaved rather than a biography of the deceased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

War memorials both inhabit and construct complex memorial landscapes. They were often added to pre-existing Victorian, Edwardian, or earlier public spaces and may share proximity with a variety of successive commemorative material cultures. The relationships between war memorials and existing commemorative spaces are most apparent however in churches, churchyards, and cemeteries. War memorials were erected not only in attempts to 'fit in' with these existing and traditional spaces of commemoration, but they also altered and created new spaces, which have determined later commemorative strategies. The importance of the church, churchyard, and cemetery as a focus for the commemoration of the war dead is also reflected in the inclusion of many of the names and biographies of those who died upon family headstones, and with memorial tablets and plaques being erected inside the churches themselves. This paper will draw upon a full range of evidence from a large sample of over 5000 war memorials in Devon, UK, focusing on those found within churches, churchyards, and cemeteries to discuss the shifting dynamics and significance of religious spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the obituary pages of quality newspapers attempt to be purveyors of instant and authoritative biography, offering unfettered accounts of lives lived, they demonstrate some haphazard practice in recording their subjects' sexual persuasion. That intermittent unreliability has been the topic of critical comment in the gay media, particularly when obituaries have failed to recognise the existence of same-sex partners. This research paper, through an impressionistic sampling of British, American, and Australian obituary columns, finds evidence of a gradual shift towards candid posthumous character study, but points also to episodes of erratic rendition, especially in indicating sexual inclination within that process. It argues that the legitimacy of the obituary as an instrument of historical record is compromised accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the outcome of a preliminary study of the various images of the life course that are conveyed in published obituaries. Following a review of recent developments in the obituary columns of national newspapers in the United Kingdom, we present our analysis of the 86 obituaries that were published in The Guardian in June 1995. We pay particular attention to the ways in which obituaries cover the biography, age, ill-health, death and personal relationships of the deceased. We conclude that, although the sampled obituaries as a whole feature the mid-life careers of men, they also reflect common expectations, fears and prejudices about age, illness and death. We would suggest that a more substantial study comparing obituaries in a wide range of contrasting publications and cultures would reveal important differences in dominant images of the life course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dominant model found in contemporary bereavement literature sees grief as a working through of emotion, the eventual goal being to move on and live without the deceased. This article challenges this model by analysing the own author's own experience of loss and by drawing together recent research papers which suggest an alternative, more sociological, model. Survivors typically want to talk about the deceased and to talk with others who knew him or her. Together they construct a story that places the dead within their lives, a story capable of enduring through time. The purpose of grief is therefore the construction of a durable biography that enables the living to integrate the memory of the dead into their ongoing lives; the process by which this is achieved is principally conversation with others who knew the deceased. The process hinges on talk more than feeling; and the purpose entails moving on with, as well as without, the deceased. This kind of grief process is particularly necessary in a late modern society whose members must continually re-create their own identity--but the detachment from tradition, place and kin that makes it necessary also makes it singularly difficult. The article concludes by outlining practical and research implications of the new model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]