"Once you are dead you are dead". James Joyce e Leopold Bloom: ovvero del macabro e del comico

Many critics consider "Ulysses" a long and articulated confrontation with the theme of death, indeed the text features preoccupation with death, reflection on the material destination of bodies, contemplation of physical decay, and fascination of the living towards the dissolution of their own corporeal self. The novel appears then to share several elements with the tradition of the Danse Macabre, particularly the interest on the body and on its destiny after death. The novel touches different genres, amongst them katabasis, Danse Macabre, and Gothic can be named. These representative modalities have an important feature in common: all three offer the possibility to elaborate figurative and textual strategies through which the encounter between living and death can be imagined. These three genres challenge the separation existing between the realm of the living and that of the dead. The article examines the elements which link "Ulysses" to the themes of the Danse Macabre and it also touches upon the fact that in Bloom’s stream of consciousness, the macabre elements experience a process of comic restyle, a practice which leads to moments blending macabre and comic

Curious Skin

Some of Henry Wellcome’s collection of tattoos on human skin will be on display in our forthcoming Skin exhibition. But how did the Parisian doctor from whom they were acquired come by his macabre collection of tattoos in the first place, and what did they mean to those whose skin they were on? It’s Gemma Angel‘s job to find out

Danse Macabre: Origins, Evolution, and Execution

The Danse Macabre is an allegory in which all living things -grand and otherwise -are equally escorted to death’s embrace. Most cultures, from ancient to contemporary, have a belief in an afterlife and interpreted death through funerary practices and religious artwork. Such spirituality associated with Danse Macabre is especially influential within the arts, such as visual storytelling. Two series in particular, FaustFall and Cardinal Junction, incorporate the Danse Macabre allegory through its implementation into accompanying concepts: like the Faustian archetype, the Gothic narrative, and the Byronic hero. Through exploring the Danse Macabre within their dystopian narratives, the notion of a hereafter is emphasized as an integral component within their natural laws. These spiritual ideals perpetuate the Christian concept of death and influence one’s uncertain thought towards dying as a respected inevitability within the natural cycle of creation

The Dies Irae ( Day of Wrath ) and Totentanz ( Dance of Death ): Medieval Themes Revisited in 19th Century Music and Culture

During the pivotal November 2002 football game of Arkansas vs. Georgia in the SEC conference championship, the Georgia marching band struck up their defensive rallying song. Instead of a typical defense song, the band played an excerpt of the Gregorian Sequence Dies Irae ( Day of Wrath\u27\u27) from the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass. Drastically dissociated from its original medieval milieu, this musical Sequence still manages to elicit the same effect of fear and foreboding nearly a thousand years later. Precisely because of its deep musical and cultural roots, the Dies Irae occupies a significant place in history, closely intertwined from early on with the medieval folk motif Totentanz ( Dance of Death ), widely depicted in medieval art, and dramatically revived in 19th century music, art, and literature. This multi-disciplinary study focuses on the history of art and music of these two medieval themes during their development, and then moves on to study them in 19th century culture. Specifically, the manipulation of the original Gregorian chant and the incorporation of the idea of a medieval dance are analyzed in the music of Hector Berlioz, Franz Liszt, and Camille Saint-Saens. Numerous other contextual links are explored as well, such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Victor Hugo, Henri Cazalis, William Blake, and Alfred Rethel, all of whom created 19th century artistic or literary masterpieces derived from the thematic seeds of the Dies Irae and the Totentanz. Although neither of these ideas endured in their original form during the Romantic era, the inherently compelling nature of these themes that center on the macabre but inevitable end of life captivated the Romantic geniuses and continue to intrigue us to this day

The Macabre on the Margins: A Study of the Fantastic Terrors of the Fin de Siècle

It demonstrates that in spite of the dominant associations of fantastic literature with horror, terror, as the marginal and marginalized fear of the unknown, with its uncanny, sublime and suspenseful qualities, holds a definitive presence in fin de siècle fantastic texts. Literary analysis of the chosen texts registers significant examples of the importance of terror to fantastic writing, and as such functions to extract an “aesthetics of sublime terror” from the margins of critical studies of this often macabre literary mode

From Dynamic to Expressionism: An Arts Integration Study

The classroom based study “From Dynamic to Expressionism: An Arts Integration Study” was designed to answer the question; Will implementing an interdisciplinary art and music unit affect the level of student confidence in understanding expressionism in art? The researcher implemented an interdisciplinary art unit in two inner-city second grade classes. Throughout the study a survey was used for students to assess their confidence level and a checklist was used to observe student confidence during class time

Movie Macabre

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College

Time's Arrow, A Halloween Concert, October 31, 1995

This is the concert program of the Time's Arrow, A Halloween Concert performance on Tuesday, October 31, 1995 at 8:00 p.m., at the Tsai Performance Center, 685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Works performed were An Idyll for the Misbegotten by George Crumb, La Vita Nuova by Nicholas Maw, Lucy and the Count by Jon Deak, and Mysteries of the Macabre by György Ligeti. Digitization for Boston University Concert Programs was supported by the Boston University Humanities Library Endowed Fund