Year end reports and whatnot call for a bit of reflection on continuing education. I think, given my setting, that i'll probably try to spend some time with death & dying/end of life stuff this year. Included in that are funerals and hospice visits and so on. If any of you run across good articles/books along the way, would you send them my way?
Just as i would never write a seminary paper without calling alan, I would never develop any kind of CE without talking to you bastards. Gracias.
I'd read Tolstoy's THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYICH. And if you're feeling bold, you might think of Faulkner's AS I LAY DYING. The first is more germane to how we treat those who are dying.
ReplyDeleteThough I've not read it yet, Joan Didion's book, THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING, catalogues her experiences during the year following her husband's death. It's a very popular book, and probably for a reason.
And since you like Annie Dillard, think about FOR THE TIME BEING as a general sort of meditation on our timefulness and finitude.
I've always thought the film, MY LIFE, with Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman, is a poignant portrayal of the dying process and its impact on a family. It's a little dated, but there's some stuff going on there that's as lasting as anything. (I dare you not to tear up when Keaton's character's father gives him a shave).
See also the films: THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY, and THE SEA INSIDE for some tangentially related shit.
Hope that helps. I might think of more. If I do, I'll let you know.
always a well of good sources; i'm very grateful for that. thanks for your help too alan and rob - at least jason doesn't hate the kickapoo people.
ReplyDeleteYou could also watch the film, WIT, which I remember liking. It details the death of an English professor, if I remember right.
ReplyDelete