Centre for Policy on Ageing



The construction of the good death — a dramaturgy approach
Author(s)	Ronit D Leichtentritt, Kathryn D Rettig
Journal title	Journal of Aging Studies, vol 15, no 1, March 2001
Pages	pp 85-103
Keywords	Death ; Attitude ; Drama ; Israel.
Annotation	A dramaturgy analysis approach is used to examine interview transcripts of 26 older Israelis who describe their own deaths. The study identifies eight meaning-making strategies used to construct the "good death": using story in the form of drama; describing multiple scenarios; assuming the director and playwright roles in varying degrees; explaining what a good death is not; comparing previous experiences with death; using questions, similes and metaphors; commenting with sarcastic remarks and black humour; and describing dreams. A composite drama, resulting from the stories of all participants, is presented in three acts, including the time prior to death, the imminent death, and the funeral. Each dramatic episode is constructed by descriptions of the script, purpose, action area, actors, and performances. The ultimate intent of a drama is to establish new meanings of dying and its aftermath for actors and audience, which is to maintain and promote continuity of one's identity, heritage and legacy. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-010511206 A
Classmark	CW: DP: HKD: 7H6
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.