A history of cultural knowledge is not congruent
with a history of abstract concepts or rational ideas.
As a consequence this essay presents a new and fascinating
cross-cultural approach for analysing the
powers of literature and art to form aesthetic ideas
of lasting cultural impact, for analysing the interrelation
between the formative forces of the imagination
and the form-giving material or medium. Its
focus is on Figurations of Death and Figurations
of Creativity. Both of these topics raise questions
relevant to all cultures: how does innovation enter
the world; how does a society come to terms with
the deepest and most basic uncertainty of human
existence, the awareness of mortality
