This study advances the idea that the Dance of Death is more than just a medieval phenomenon; it is a constant manifestation, varying only in the form of appearance which is relative to history and cultural perspective. The Dance of Death in a broad sense is a recurring motif which mythically takes on the quality of a symbolic archetype and sociologically becomes a visible representation or legitimation of mankind's universal concern over death. Serving as an externalization of man's hidden fears, the Dance of Death is presented in this study as a universal metaphor projecting the collective concerns of man in his inevitable confrontation with Death. Manifested in a variety of forms, this motif projects a singular meaning, that man must die. Tracing this motif through the primitive cultures, those of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and those of the eighteenth century, this study shows the continuity underlying the surface variations. The major emphasis of this study is the development and variation of this motif in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries from a multiplicity of viewpoints in relation to the Western cultures. While the Processional Dance of Death was a dominant theme in these two centuries, other interesting variations include Danseomanie, the Fertility Rite as a Dance of Death, the Satirical Dance of Death, War as a Dance of Death, and the most modern expression of this motif, the Psychological Dance of Death. Combinations of two or more of these motifs also offer a unique insight into the modern world. Thus, the Dance of Death is an evolutionary motif found throughout the history of mankind and manifested through the various art forms created by man. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-04, Section: A, page: 1138. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74813 |
| Contributors | MAC NICHOL, MARIANNE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 185 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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