Fragments on the Deathwatch
Keeping vigil over the dying is an essential human practice with long cultural traditions and profound psychological benefits. Yet, as legal scholar Louise Harmon shows, the institutions of modern life-from hospitals to courtrooms-intrude on the practice. In this humane and lyrical book, Harmon looks at literature, philosophy, history, and autobiography as she delicately probes the taboos around discussion of death. She asks whether the law can recognize the needs of families and loved ones...
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Keeping vigil over the dying is an essential human practice with long cultural traditions and profound psychological benefits. Yet, as legal scholar Louise Harmon shows, the institutions of modern life-from hospitals to courtrooms-intrude on the practice. In this humane and lyrical book, Harmon looks at literature, philosophy, history, and autobiography as she delicately probes the taboos around discussion of death. She asks whether the law can recognize the needs of families and loved ones and protect the space of their grieving.
1Deathwatches12Plaintiffs, Procedure, and the Limits of Law Wishes37Left Hemisphere Interlude903Moving Up the Brainstem924Death Thought, Death Talk, and the Evidentiary Implications of Taboo975Law and the Architecture of Ritual Space140Right Hemisphere Coda179Notes to Text185Notes to Commentary203Acknowledgments219Index221
