Humor and death: a qualitative study of The New Yorker cartoons (1986-2006)

Palliative & Supportive Care
Marianne Matzo, David Miller

Abstract

American's experiences with dying and death have changed throughout the course of our history. As an agrarian society death, was seen first-hand on, often, a daily basis. Industrialization brought with it removal of the dying process to the hospital and burial became the responsibility of the undertaker. This separation of dying and death from society resulted in not only a physical barrier but a psychological one as well. Technology in health care once again raised issues of the dying process by asking people to make decisions about their health care in the realm of resuscitation, respirators, and the use of artificial food and fluids.One way that Americans have been known handle the difficult times in their lives is through humor. When it becomes difficult to cope, tears and laughter are both cathartic. This study analyzes cartoons from The New Yorker in an effort to categorize contemporary notions of death as well as establish the correlation between societal events related to dying and death and the overall percent of death-related cartoons in this media.

References

Jul 1, 1969·Journal of Theoretical Biology·M Levine, S Levine
Feb 25, 1993·The New England Journal of Medicine·G J Annas
Feb 24, 2000·The New England Journal of Medicine·L GanziniM A Lee
Dec 26, 2003·Psychoanalytic Review·Neil J Elgee
Aug 9, 2005·The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care·Kathleen N Adamle, Ruth Ludwick
May 2, 2006·Journal of Anxiety Disorders·R Nicholas CarletonGordon J G Asmundson

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